Saving Lives
by Natalie-Rose
Summary: Daryl Dixon saved her that day in the woods. Now she must face a new set of circumstances and unanticipated feelings for him. Daryl/OC
1. Chapter 1

Daryl Dixon was hoping today would be the day. He'd spent the better part of the morning tracking a deer. Sweat was trickling down his back and the oppressiveness of the air made breathing seem hard. He'd give anything for a breeze. It would all be worth it though. He knew he was close. Venison would be a welcome change from the small game he'd harvested the last few days.

Hope was soon lost when a loud thrashing sound broke the silence. He scanned the woods trying to locate the source. Finally, he saw it. Two walkers were chasing a woman across a nearby ridge. He raised his crossbow and caught one of them in his sight. Stilling his breath, he released the arrow. It was an accurate head shot and the walker dropped like a large stringless puppet. By now their prey had collapsed and the second walker was closing in on her. He quickly reloaded, fired and with a thud, the walker folded at her feet.

Daryl surveyed the area making sure there were no other walkers in sight. Cautiously, he approached the woman who was lying on the ground in a crumpled heap. He laid down his bow and knelt by her side. Finding her unresponsive, he carefully rolled her onto her back. He was struck by how fragile she looked, like some dirty porcelain doll. Her face was streaked with mud and her hair was tangled with leaves. Placing his hand to her chest, he confirmed that she was breathing.

Daryl rose and went to each of the walkers, quickly retrieving his arrows from what was left of their decaying carcasses. He tossed his bow on his back and returned to the woman's side. Dropping to one knee, he placed her arm around his neck and gently picked her up. He was surprised by how little effort it took to carry her. He guessed he had gotten used to dragging around dead weight. Whether it was a walker, its victim or an eight point buck, he didn't come in contact with much living these days.

It took nearly an hour to make his way back to camp and he was feeling the effects of the heat and adrenaline. He called out for someone to get the door to the camper that was serving as makeshift headquarters. Jacqui rushed over letting the two inside. Carefully, he laid down his lifeless package.

Dale, the camp lookout, seeing the commotion climbed down from his post on top. He rushed inside trying to assess the situation. "What happened?"

"I found her in the woods running from a couple of walkers. She fell in a heap and hasn't so much as stirred. All I know is she's breathing."

Dale checked her pulse. It was weak, but there. "It's my guess she's suffering from exhaustion. With this heat that's not a surprise. She's going to need rest. That's really all we can do." He looked to Jacqui. "She can stay here but we'll need to check her for scratches and bites. There's no telling what she may have come in contact with."

Jacqui gave Dale her silent approval. She asked Daryl to go and find an extra set of clean clothes. He nodded and headed out of the camper, Dale following behind him. Left to herself, Jacqui went to get a cloth and bowl of water from the kitchen. She gently wiped the dirt from the woman's face and began removing her soiled and damp clothing.

Shane, having made his way back to camp, stormed into the camper. "What is this I hear about us taking in walker bait? What the hell was Daryl thinking bringing her into camp?"

Jacqui hurried to cover the woman but not before Shane had taken in an eyeful. "You shouldn't be in here" she scolded.

"Well this certainly explains it. I guess we know what head Daryl was thinking with and it certainly wasn't the one on his shoulders."


	2. Chapter 2

Anna tried to raise her head but it felt like the weight of the world was on top of her. She looked around and panic set in. She had no idea where she was. Just then she heard a voice say "Relax dear. You're safe."

She turned to find a striking African American woman sitting in a chair to her left. "Where am I?" she asked.

The woman smiled. "You collapsed in the woods a couple of days ago. One of our men found you and brought you back to our camp. You were extremely lucky he was there."

Anna closed her eyes, trying to clear the fog from her head. "The last thing I remember was being chased from the highway. I ran for what seemed like miles into the woods and then everything went black."

The woman rose and walked to the kitchen. She filled a glass with water, handing it to her. "I'm Jacqui" she said.

Anna awkwardly raised herself up. "Thank you Jacqui. I'm Anna."

"Well Anna, tell me what on earth you were doing out there alone."

Anna took a much needed drink. "I wasn't alone at first" she explained. "I was with three other doctors. I worked at a hospital in Marietta. When the epidemic first hit we were overwhelmed with patients complaining of severe flu like symptoms. We didn't have enough beds for everyone. Our staff was already thin and even they were falling ill. The military eventually assumed control. That didn't last long and we were quickly overrun. The few doctors and nurses that were left fled. We heard Atlanta was a safe zone so we headed to the city. The main road was grid locked. The infected had taken it over. We had no choice but to run. That's how I ended up in the woods."

* * *

><p>Dusk was beginning to fall and Daryl wrapped up hunting for the day. He had been successful and had a nice deer to show for it. He was dragging his prize into camp when Jacqui spotted him and hurried over to meet him. "I thought you'd like to know Anna is awake" she said.<p>

He narrowed his eyes. "Anna?"

"You know the pretty brunette you brought back the other day. I know she wants to meet you."

"People want a lot of things they can't have" he said gruffly. "And I've got a deer to clean."

* * *

><p>As the evening wore on, Daryl's curiosity began to get the better of him. He didn't want to admit it but he was anxious to meet this 'Anna'. Summoning up his nerve, he knocked on the camper door. Dale gladly welcomed him in. He glanced across the room and saw her curled up on the couch. She looked very different from the woman he'd carried in just two days before. Her face was no longer marked with dirt and her dark hair fell loosely over her shoulders. She looked up at him and for the first time he was able to see her large brown eyes. He felt a sudden pang in his stomach.<p>

"Anna" said Dale. "This is Daryl. He's the one we've been telling you about."

Anna took the opportunity to assess the man in front of her. He was tall with sandy brown hair, a small goatee, and piercing blue eyes. His arms were well defined and appeared to be the result of physical labor, not from time spent in a gym. By any measure he would be considered handsome. She said "Dale was telling me you were the one who found me".

He nodded.

Anna paused, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. "I don't know how to thank you. If you hadn't intervened...well, I don't want to think about what would have happened to me."

"I just did what anybody would've done" Daryl murmured.

From what Anna had seen in the last few weeks she knew nothing could be further from the truth.


	3. Chapter 3

_4 days later:_

Anna slept that night better than she had in days. After almost a week in camp she had finally regained her strength. When she woke, the first thing that crossed her mind was the blue-eyed man that saved her life. This was no surprise since she had thought of little else since the day they met. She quickly got dressed, grateful to have found that someone had washed her clothes. In her own t-shirt and jeans, she began to feel like herself again.

She stepped outside the camper and looked up to see Dale keeping watch on top. She smiled to herself. He had been so kind to her, constantly checking to make sure she was well taken care of. Her father had died when she was a child, but she imagined if he were still alive he'd be a lot like Dale. "Good morning" she said.

"Good morning to you. How did you sleep last night?"

"Honestly, I can't remember the last time I slept so hard" she confessed, climbing up to join him. "Even if you excluded the last few weeks, I never got a solid eight hours of sleep." She looked out at the horizon. "This place is so peaceful. It's hard to believe there's so much chaos on the other side of those hills."

Dale nodded. "I know. This camp has started to feel like home. Sometimes you almost forget about the danger that's out there. Obviously you have to be smart and keep your guard up, but you can't spend all your time worrying about what might happen. If you do there's no point in living."

"That's a good way of looking at it. I guess I spent so much time looking to the future that I never really lived in the present. In college I was trying to get into medical school, in medical school I was working to get into a residency program, during residency I was working for a hospital position. But, I guess none of it matters now. I have a fresh start and the first thing I want to do is start paying you guys back for everything you've done for me. What can I do to help around here?"

Just then she heard Shane say "If you want to help you can come with me. I need someone to back me while I walk the perimeter".

* * *

><p>Anna followed Shane into the woods. There were countless other people she would have rather spent the day with, but in order to maintain good will she had agreed to go. From the few days spent in camp she had found him to be arrogant with a tendency to become combative if anyone questioned him. It was obvious he was a man who liked to be in control. She figured she would make the best of the situation. The day was nice and she relished the opportunity to stretch her legs.<p>

From the start, the outing was uncomfortable. Shane constantly stayed a few steps ahead of her and she struggled to keep up. What little conversation they had was short and initiated by her. After what seemed like miles, he stopped and turned to her. "Okay, this is where you earn your keep."

Anna looked around, trying to determine what they could possibly need to do out here. This spot didn't look any different from any other spot they had passed in the last half hour. There was only woods. She got a sinking feeling in her stomach. She glanced up at him and he looked back at her with hard, dead eyes. "You know I forgot I promised Jacqui that I'd help her with the laundry" she lied, the response stumbling from her lips. "I should probably be getting back. Maybe we could do this tomorrow."

Without a word Shane grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him. He put his mouth to her ear. "You're not going anywhere" he hissed.

Anna struggled to break free but he was too strong. He wrestled her to the ground, covering her mouth with his hand. "You won't make a sound if you know what's good for you. I shouldn't have to tell you, people disappear all the time. You wouldn't be missed."

Anna silently acquiesced and he slowly uncovered her mouth. Her adrenaline was pumping and her mind was racing searching for a way out. He climbed on top of her, using one hand to pin her arms over her head and the other to push her shirt and bra around her neck. His mouth and tongue were on her breasts, lingering there before moving down to her abdomen. She could hear his breath become heavy and labored, the musky smell of his skin filling her nose. He forced her jeans open and shoved his hand between her legs, penetrating her with his finger. She squeezed her eyes shut, desperately trying to block it all out.

Suddenly, she felt the weight on her lift. She opened her eyes to see Daryl pulling him off of her. He grabbed Shane by the collar and began attacking him like an animal. The two struggled on the ground, each landing their fair share of blows.

Shane finally freed himself and staggered backwards, laughing as he touched his bloodied lip. "That's all you've got?"

Daryl was shaking with rage. "If you _ever_ lay another finger on her, I will kill you" he growled.

Shane eyed him, making a show of tasting the finger he'd just used to violate Anna. "It might be worth it. A good piece of ass is getting harder to find these days." Bemused, he shook his head and began to walk away.

Daryl went to Anna. Gently, he helped her to her feet. "Let me get you back to camp."

She looked up at him, tears starting to trickle down her face. "Promise me you won't tell anyone what happened" she whispered. "I couldn't face them if they knew."


	4. Chapter 4

"You were right" gritted Daryl. "I found them about a mile outside of camp. I had to practically pry his ass off her. It took everything I had not to kill that son of a bitch."

Dale shook his head. "I just had a bad feeling about it. I didn't like the way he's been looking at her."

Cursing under his breath, Daryl kicked angrily at the ground in front of him. "If only I'd gotten there sooner."

"By the time I found you to send you out there, they had a good fifteen minutes head start. I'm surprised you got there as quickly as you did. It could've been worse."

Daryl glared at him. "Do you think Anna thinks that? Cause I don't. I'm sure the only thing she's thinking about is that Shane was on top of her not that I pulled him off."

Dale studied the drawn features of the man in front of him, watching as he began to pace. "You care about her don't you?"

"She's just some chick I pulled out of the woods" Daryl scoffed. "Shane's a prick who deserved to get his ass kicked. I'd happily do it again and it has nothing to do with her."

"Come on Daryl. You think I haven't noticed how much more time you spend around camp these days. I can't imagine that's a coincidence."

Frustrated, Daryl rubbed his hands across his face. "What difference does it make anyway? It's not like someone like her would want someone like me."

"I've seen the way she looks at you. You're a good man. Nothing like the Shane's of the world. You deserve someone that cares about you. I think you're selling yourself short."

Looking back over his shoulder, Daryl turned to go. "Why wouldn't I? Everyone else does."

* * *

><p>That night Anna couldn't sleep. She was replaying the events of the day over and over in her head. She questioned herself. Why did I go? Why didn't I run when I had the chance? Why didn't I scream? The exercise was pointless; she already knew the answers. She went because she wanted to help. She didn't run because it would have embarrassed them both if he had meant her no harm. She didn't scream because he told her not to. Why did she have this incessant need to please, even to her own detriment?<p>

This was a pattern for her, even in college when she had broken up with her high school boyfriend. It was obvious they had grown apart. He wanted something different in life than she did. It would have never worked, but he loved her and was desperately trying to hold on. She didn't want to hurt him so she stayed longer than she should have, devastating him in the end.

Even when she was free to date whoever she wanted, she repeated the cycle. If a man she wasn't interested in asked her out, she would come up with an excuse to spare his feelings. Too many times she ended up on bad dates because she wasn't able to think fast enough on her feet. She started to get angry, not at Shane but at herself. If she was going to make it in this new world she was going to have to change. She made a promise to herself that no man would ever touch her again, unless it was what she wanted.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day Anna woke feeling physically and mentally drained. Her body ached from tossing and turning in her sleep. She grabbed her jeans and noticed that her wrists were turning a deep shade of purple. Great. How am I going to explain these? she thought. She dressed, put on her best face and stepped out of the camper. The first person she saw was Jacqui, who was busy loading a basket with clothes.

Jacqui looked up and smiled. "I was just coming to get you. A group of us is going down to the quarry to do laundry. I thought you might like to join us."

"I'd like that" she replied, returning the smile.

* * *

><p>The morning spent washing clothes was a much needed distraction. The conversation was good and she had the chance to get some sun on her face. She had finally relaxed when Shane walked up. He gave her a look as if to acknowledge their shared secret. She held his eyes, letting him know she wasn't intimidated.<p>

Shane turned away, scanning the remaining faces in front of him. "Has anyone seen Daryl?" he asked.

Jacqui glanced up at him. "The last time I saw him he was back at camp sharpening knives. What do you need him for?"

"We're running low on supplies and we need to make a trip into the city. I want to nail down a game plan by tonight so we can leave first thing tomorrow."

Anna was surprised that he would consider such a thing. She knew how dangerous Atlanta would be.

Resting his hands on his hips, Shane surveyed the group. "If anyone needs anything specific, now is the time to ask."

Jacqui requested AAA batteries.

"Anybody else?" he questioned. Getting no response, he pinched the brim of cap and tipped his head. "Alright then" he drawled. "You ladies have a nice day."

* * *

><p>Shane returned to camp and found Daryl sitting in a folding chair cleaning the tips of his arrows. He called out to him. "I need you to go with me on a supply run tomorrow morning."<p>

Daryl eyed him incredulously. "You can't be serious" he snorted.

Shane lowered his head, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "Why not?" he asked, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.

"After what happened yesterday, I wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire."

'You're not going to let that little incident get in the way here, are you? It was really no big deal."

"No big deal" Daryl scoffed. "Man you really are a piece of work."

Shane let out an exasperated sigh. "Come on pal. You know how it is. Women send out all sorts of mixed signals. You can't blame a man for getting confused."

Daryl stood, putting his finger to Shane's chest. "First of all I'm not your pal. I'm not your buddy. I'm not your friend. In fact I'm nothing to you. I'm gonna go on this trip tomorrow because it's what's best for the group. Don't confuse my cooperation for anything but what it is, and what it is, is a means to an end. You can rot in hell as far as I'm concerned."

* * *

><p>The sun was falling and the camp had gone quiet. Most everyone had settled into their tents for the evening. It was cool outside and Anna had wrapped up in one of Dale's jackets. She propped herself up against a tree and sat engrossed in a novel that Jacqui had lent her.<p>

Out of nowhere she heard "You're gonna strain your eyes".

She looked up to see Daryl standing over her. "I know" she said softly "but I'm just getting to the good part."

He sat down next to her. "So what's it about?"

Anna furrowed her brow.

"Your book...what's it about?" he asked, pointing at the paperback she was holding.

"Oh. You know, your typical hard-nosed female detective, that gets no respect, tries to solve a string of serial murders, while being stalked by a mad man she put behind bars. Just your standard fluffy chick stuff."

He smiled.

Anna rested her chin in her hand. "I forgot how much I used to like to read. I could devour a book a week."

"What made you stop?"

"Time" she sighed. "There never seemed to be enough of it."

Daryl looked off into the distance. "We have plenty of time to kill around here." He stood. "Enjoy your book" he said as he turned to go.


	6. Chapter 6

The city of Atlanta, once deemed a safe zone, was now teeming with the undead. Walkers liked to move in packs. Individually they were easy to handle. One quick shot to the head would take care of them. As a group they were extremely dangerous, easily overwhelming a person in a matter of seconds. The goal was to hit one of the local sporting good stores. If it hadn't already been ransacked it would have everything they needed.

Daryl and Shane loaded their gear into the back of Daryl's pickup truck. They pulled out of camp and onto the quarry road. The summer had been dry and there wasn't much rain to help tamp down the dust being stirred up by the truck's tires. The two men made the trip in silence; the only sound was the gravel being kicked up into the truck's undercarriage.

They reached the outskirts of the city and Daryl parked the truck by an old railway station. The store they were targeting was in the industrial section of town. This was ideal. The area was semi-isolated so there was a good chance the walker count would be low. They had found out the hard way that scavenging in the more crowded city blocks was a bad idea. Apparently, walkers liked to stay close to home, the more urban the area the more dense the walker population.

Slinging bags over their shoulders, Daryl grabbed his bow and Shane checked his pistol. With everything in order, they began to move on foot. Shane went first with Daryl following behind, serving as cover. The city was eerily quiet and Daryl could hear his heart pounding in his chest. No matter how often he made these trips, it always got his adrenaline pumping. He carefully scanned the block and watched as litter swirled and skittered in front of him. The street was dotted with abandoned vehicles and he had to be careful approaching them. You never knew if or when a walker would pop out from one.

The men made it to the store's back alley without incident and hunkered down behind the garbage dumpster. A walker ambled its way into the street and Daryl motioned to Shane to stay down. The walker sensing their presence, made a bee-line in their direction, its grotesque arms outstretched, its hands grasping at air. Daryl raised his bow and got off a clean shot. The walker's head snapped back and dropped heavily to the ground.

Daryl and Shane turned to look for the store's rear entrance when a throng of walkers staggered into the alley. Spotting the men, they began lumbering towards them. Shane slammed the lid down on the dumpster and the two of them hastily climbed on top. The walkers began desperately clutching and grabbing at their legs and Daryl gave them firm kicks to the head, knocking them back down. Shane grabbed the ladder for the fire escape and the two of them climbed to the top of the building.

They located the store's roof access door and found it was splintered and barely attached. Someone had beaten them there. They took a second to gather themselves and moved into the building. Weapons raised, they took the stairs, checking around each corner before hitting the landing below. Once they reached the bottom, Shane looked back to Daryl. Getting a nod, he slowly began to open the door.

Shane scanned the room, seeing nothing suspicious, he stepped inside. Daryl followed behind, his crossbow raised; ready to take on anything that might move. Just as expected, the store was ransacked. Luckily, there was still a good amount of stock left. It would just take longer to find. Racks of clothing and large shelves, that once held sporting equipment, ran the length of the room. They were forced to check every aisle to make sure there was no one or no thing lurking inside. When they were comfortable they were alone, they began to go to work.

Each of them had a list. Daryl pulled the folded piece of paper out of his pocket. He gave it a once-over, and headed to what was left of the store's camping section. He began picking through the shelves and grabbed a lantern and a couple of flashlights. It was then that something caught his eye. He smiled to himself, it wasn't on the list but he knew he had to have it.

Daryl walked to the front of the store and looked through the shelves by the check out stands. He found packs of batteries and began filling his bag, making sure to get the AAAs that Jacqui had asked for.

After a thorough foraging, Shane caught up to him and said, "Did you find everything on your list?"

"Pretty much."

"Me too. I guess we're done here then."

Securing their bags, they went back upstairs to the roof. From their vantage point they had a good idea of what was down below. Getting back should be easier. Confirming that the cluster of walkers had moved on, they climbed down the fire escape. They had made it halfway to the truck when Shane stopped in his tracks. Daryl followed suit, immediately assessing the situation. A walker was milling around the vehicle. Daryl grabbed an arrow and loaded his bow. He fired and the walker buckled, cracking its head on the driver's side mirror, before hitting the ground. They continued on, scanning the area to make sure it didn't have company.

Once they reached the truck, they tossed their bags in the back and climbed inside. Daryl started up the engine and circled back around, bearing down on the walker's body. Hearing a satisfactory crunch, they began the ride back to camp.


	7. Chapter 7

Anna wouldn't admit it, but she was nervous. The thought of Daryl on those walker infested streets made her sick to her stomach. She feverishly paced back and forth, suddenly stopping when she realized that people may question what she was doing. She had to remain calm. Shane had said they had taken this trip before. Maybe it wasn't as bad as she thought. By now they had been gone a little over an hour. Was that normal? She really had no way of knowing.

She needed something to distract herself and decided to go to the quarry for a swim. She saw Jacqui sitting in her tent and thought company would be nice. She walked over, doing her best to knock on the nylon door. She stuck her head inside. "I was thinking since it's so hot I might take a swim. Do you have any interest in going?"

"That sounds good. I could use a change of scenery."

Jacqui grabbed a couple of towels and the two women walked down to the quarry. Stripping down to her bra and panties, Anna waded out into the water. She was surprised to find the temperature was only slightly cooler than a warm bath. Kicking up her feet, she started to swim in long, smooth strokes. She was a good swimmer. It was something that her father had insisted on. As a child she had hated the lessons at the YMCA. She remembered being forced to go to the top of the high diving board and told to jump. She was afraid of the water and equally afraid of the height. To this day she could remember standing on the edge, feet firmly planted, refusing to jump. It wasn't until her instructor threatened to push her that she finally did.

She flipped over and leaned her head back into the water, looking up at the steep edges of the quarry. Her mind began to drift to Daryl. She wondered what he was doing at that exact moment. Was he safe? Was he scared? She had a hard time imagining him scared. She thought about the way he went after Shane, but mostly she thought about the way he held her when he helped her back to camp. Did he hold her extra close, extra tight? Damn it. You're doing it again, she thought. Over analyzing things. That was one of her biggest hang ups, constantly analyzing everything. She wondered how much time she wasted worrying about how someone interpreted something she said, or looking for the hidden subtext in what someone said to her. She might as well be thirteen again wondering if Scott Johnson actually liked her because he said he would stop by her house to borrow her algebra notes. Turned out he just wanted the notes. He was interested in Nicole Vincent who had moved into a B cup over the summer while she was still wearing bras out of a box. _Just stop it. You've already determined you can't read men, not at thirteen and not now._

Anna heard someone call out to her. She raised her head and saw that it was Jacqui. "It's getting late" she said. "I don't want you to burn out there."

Anna realized she had lost all track of time. "Okay" she replied. "I'll be right there."

When she reached the shore, Jacqui was there to meet her with a towel. "What time is it?" she asked, drying herself off.

"It's 11:30."

Anna did the math. Daryl had been gone almost two hours now.

The two women headed back to camp. "I don't know about you" Jacqui yawned "but I think I'm going to take a little nap. The heat sure takes it out of me".

"You go ahead. I think I'm going to sit outside for a little while."

Anna spent the next half hour staring at the road, hoping that at any moment Daryl's truck would come around the curve. Finally it did. Her heart began to race. Shoot! I can't let him see me like this, she thought. Running back to the camper, she picked up her book and dropped down on the couch. She did her best to look nonchalant.

* * *

><p>Daryl grabbed his bag out of the back of the truck, fishing around for a couple of things inside. He walked over to Jacqui's tent and called her name.<p>

Jacqui unzipped the door and stuck her head outside. "I see you made it back in one piece."

"Yeah, no major problems. Here, I got those AAA batteries you wanted."

"Thanks" Jacqui smiled. "I've been needing these."

"What are you planning on using those things for anyway? Daryl asked curiously.

"They're for my Walkman."

Daryl drew up his brow. "Walkman?" he scoffed. "Who the hell uses a Walkman anymore?"

Jacqui shot him a look. "Mock me if you must, but I don't see anyone using iPods around her."

"You got me there" Daryl grinned. "By the way have you seen Anna around? I got something for her too."

"If she's not sitting around camp, she's probably at Dale's."

Daryl nodded to Jacqui and walked over to the camper. Suddenly nervous, he hesitantly knocked on the door.

"Come in" Anna called out.

Daryl stuck his head inside and handed her a small box. "I didn't want you to ruin your eyes" he said.

Anna looked down and that saw that it was a book light. She looked up to thank him but he was already gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Daryl woke early the next day. He was normally an early riser but this was early even for him. It would be at least two hours before the sun started to rise. Lying on his back, he stared up at the roof of his tent. He thought back to yesterday when he brought Anna the book light. It was a small thing, but by the way her eyes lit up, you would have thought that stupid thing was the greatest gift in the world.

He decided since he was awake to walk down to the quarry. He figured he could take a quick dip to get cleaned up before everyone else woke. He put on his boots and grabbed his hunting knife, strapping it to his hip.

The moon was unusually full, easily lighting up the gravel on the dirt road. At the lake's edge he pulled off his boots and stripped off his clothes. He began easing himself into the water, surprised at how warm it was. He felt his muscles begin to relax as the ripples lapped against his chest. He dipped his head back and ran his fingers through his hair. For a moment he imagined what it would be like to have Anna there, for her legs to be wrapped around his waist, for his mouth to be on her neck, for her lips to be moaning his name. He forced himself to push those thoughts to the back of his mind. There was no use in making things complicated. Things were already complicated enough. Still he couldn't help but wonder if she ever thought of him like that when she was lying in bed at night.

He got out of the water and stood there a moment giving himself a chance to dry. Water droplets ran in tiny streams down the contours of his body. He looked like he was covered in diamonds in the white light of the moon. He felt a chill from the breeze and quickly dressed.

He headed back to the road. As he rounded the curve, the camp came into sight. He saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Someone was probably up, but he had to check to be sure. He quietly moved closer and found that a walker had made its way into camp. It was pawing at the door of Jacqui's tent. With his knife in hand, he quickly snuck up on it. He grabbed it around its neck and rammed the weapon into its skull, twisting it for good measure. By now a second walker had emerged from the woods. It grabbed Daryl by the shoulders. Startled by the contact, he wrung the walker off of him.

Daryl began moving backwards toward the edge of camp, taunting the walker as he went. "Come to daddy, you ugly son of a bitch."

The sounds of the struggle had caused everyone in the camp to wake. Shane grabbed his pistol and climbed outside his tent. He saw the walker moving towards Daryl. He raised his gun, aimed and fired. Instantaneously the walker and Daryl collapsed to the ground. The walker kept moving, crawling towards the motionless Daryl.

Shane shouted, "What the hell?"

He ran over and put a bullet in the back of the walker's head. This time it stopped.

Anna screamed, "Oh my God, Daryl's been shot!"

She ran towards him and yelled, "Please someone grab some clean towels".

Dale ran back into the camper, ransacking the kitchen. He grabbed a stack of hand towels and returned to Anna.

"Put pressure on the wound" she said. "We've got to stop the bleeding." Anna shouted to Jacqui, "Please bring any first-aid kits you can find".

Jacqui nodded and rushed off.

Anna saw that Daryl was unconscious. She put her hand to the side of his neck to check his pulse. She drew a deep breath when she realized it was there.

The bullet had hit Daryl under the rib cage and Dale continued to apply pressure to the wound. Anna added additional towels as they began to fill with blood. She looked up at Daryl, his eyes closed, and imagined them never opening again. Please don't leave me, she thought.

Finally the blood flow stopped. Anna breathed a grateful sigh of relief. "Okay. It looks like he's stable."

Jacqui brought over the first-aid kit and Anna began to clean and bandage the wound. When she was finished she looked at Shane and Dale. "Why don't you two move Daryl into the camper? He's not safe out here."


	9. Chapter 9

"What happened out there?" Dale asked Shane.

"What do you mean what happened? I was trying to take down that walker and I accidentally hit Daryl."

"So it was an accident?"

"Of course it was an accident. What the hell else would it be?"

Dale gave Shane a look to say he had his doubts.

Shane rubbed his forehead, as he stared back at Dale. "Just what are you getting at? You can't honestly think I shot Daryl on purpose. Look, that walker fell on its own. It was really bad timing, but that's what happened. Do you really think I would be stupid enough to shoot him with the entire camp watching?"

Dale shook his head, a questioning look in his eyes. "I don't know what to think anymore."

"You don't have to take my word for it, just look at the facts. There were only two shots fired, one that hit Daryl and the one I put in the back of that walker's head. Now you tell me how I could have taken Daryl and the walker down with one bullet. It's not possible. Like I said, it was bad timing."

Anna spoke up. "Dale, what Shane says makes sense. It was an accident. Let's not waste any more time arguing about it. Let's just focus our energy on taking care of Daryl."

Dale and Shane looked at each in silent agreement.

Anna turned towards Daryl. "I've just examined the bullet wound and I'm concerned about it". She pointed to the area just below the rib cage. "Do you see this bruising here?" The two men nodded. "This is a sign of internal bleeding. It's critical that I remove the bullet and repair the cause of the hemorrhage."

Dale asked, "How are you going to do that? The only thing we have here is a first-aid kit".

"I've already thought about that. I need to get back to my SUV. I loaded the back of it with medical supplies before I left the hospital. It would have everything I need for surgery."

"Where is your SUV?" asked Shane.

"It's out there on I-85, where 75 and 85 merge."

Shane folded his arms. "It's not going to be a cake walk to get out there. That place could be crawling with walkers."

"I don't care" said Anna. "Daryl's not going to make it if I don't stop the bleeding. This is the only chance he has."

Shane focused his eyes on her considering what she'd said. He drew a deep breath. "Okay. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Shane and Anna headed out for the interstate in Daryl's pickup. Anna glanced around the truck; stick shift, bench seat, basic radio. She thought this looks like something Daryl would drive.<p>

The silence during the ride was palpable and Anna began tapping her fingers nervously on the arm rest. Finally she couldn't take it anymore. "I know that you and I are never going to be friendly after what happend, but since we are going to have to co-exist maybe we could be civil."

Shane glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Fair enough."

They were getting close to the 85/75 juncture and the interstate was becoming more and more littered with abandoned cars. Shane said, "What exactly are we looking for?"

"It's a black Jeep Grand Cherokee. There will be an Emory sticker on the back window. It'll be in the left hand lane."

As they got closer Shane had to stick mostly to the grassy median to get through. Anna started to feel sick. The last time she was there walkers had been roaming the highway. She remembered sitting there watching as they pounded on the windows of the cars in front of her. She had never been so scared in her life. She wondered how many people had made it out like she did. As they got closer she saw the many that had not.

"There" Anna said. She had spotted her Jeep. By now the interstate had become blocked. "I'll go the rest of the way on foot."

"You're not going out there."

"Look. It's only about fifty yards and there's not a walker in sight. I'll be fine. Once I get there I can lock myself inside."

Shane shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. You have no idea what's out there."

"Let's not argue about this. We're just wasting time."

"If you're crazy enough to do this at least take my gun." Shane took the safety off and handed it to her.

"Okay. This shouldn't take long".

Anna ran with the gun in hand. She made it to her Jeep and jumped inside, locking the doors. She set the gun down in the passenger's seat and turned to climb into the back. She stopped. There was a note taped to the inside of the windshield.

It said:

_Anna,_

_If you are reading this that means you're alive. Michael and I made it out of Atlanta. We got separated from Steven so we are leaving a note for him too. We are staying at the Central State Hospital in Milledgeville. This place is safe and we have everything we need. On the back of this paper is a map to our location. Find us._

_David_

Oh my God, she thought. David and Michael are alive.

Just then she heard someone laying on a horn. She started to turn back to look for Shane. Before she could, something grabbed her by her neck. It was a walker. It had stuck its boney arms through the crack in the window and was pulling her to the door. She began to struggle. If only she could reach the gun. She desperately tried to pull away but the walker kept slamming her back into the side window. She stretched out her arm. _Just a couple more inches. Damn it!_ The tips of her fingers had pushed it further away. She had to try something else. The keys to the Jeep were probably still in the ignition where she had left them. She fumbled around and found them. She cranked up the vehicle and began groping for the window button. She found it and the window started to rise taking the walker's arms with it. Finally she was free.

She took a much needed breath and grabbed the gun. She placed it through the crack in the window and put one bullet in the walker's head. She lowered the window and watched its body fall to the ground. She had to get out of there. She knew the sound of the gun could draw more walkers. She put the Jeep in drive and started pushing the small car in front of her ahead. Then she put it in reverse smashing into the car behind her. She repeated the sequence until she had created enough space for her to get out. She pulled onto the grass median and started heading back towards Shane, pushing aside any vehicles that got in the way. It was times like this that she was glad she drove a gas-guzzling SUV.


	10. Chapter 10

Shane and Anna raced back to camp kicking up gravel as they sped up the quarry road. Shane was driving Daryl's truck and Anna was following closely behind in her Jeep. The SUV, once black, was now coated in a thin layer of dust. Dale spotted them through his binoculars and went over to meet them.

Shane got out of the truck and ran back to the Jeep. He grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. "Holy shit! What the hell were you thinking? You almost got yourself killed back there."

Anna drew back as Shane leaned into her. "I got distracted for a moment. I'm fine. Everything's fine."

Dale couldn't help but notice the banged up Jeep. He glanced at Anna, a frown crossing his face. "What kind of trouble did you get into out there?"

"Nothing I couldn't get out of."

Dale's chest rose, his tone now serious. "That's not a good enough answer."

"Okay" she sighed. "A walker grabbed me while I was trying to get into the back of my Jeep. I'll admit it was close. I know I should have been more careful." She took a deep breath. "The good thing is all the supplies were still there."

Shane shook his head. "Maybe next time you'll listen when I tell you something." "Women" he muttered under his breath.

Anna cut her eyes at him as he walked around to unload the SUV. She followed behind as he carried the supplies into the camper.

Once inside, Anna glanced over at Daryl lying motionless on the couch. He looked so peaceful. She on the other hand felt completely wired. _You've got to pull it together. You need to be at your best right now. He's never failed you once and you can't fail him now._

Dale stepped in, closing the door behind him. "What can I do to help?"

Anna turned to him. "You can assist me during surgery."

Dale rubbed his neck, uncertainty showing on his face. "Me?"

She gave him a reassuring look. "I promise it's not a big deal. You'll just have to hand me the instruments as I ask for them."

"Okay. I can do that."

Anna took Dale's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I have no doubt you can...I'm going to go ahead and get scrubbed up. I'll need your help with that."

Anna went to the sink and put a large drop of antiseptic soap in her hand. She asked Dale to pour out some water from one of the plastic water bottles. She thoroughly lathered up all the way to her elbows. She looked to Dale when she was done. "I'm ready to rinse."

Dale poured the remaining water over her hands. When she was clean, she began shaking them out. She let them air dry not wanting to take the chance that she would contaminate them on a hand towel. She grabbed a pair of small rubber gloves from one of her bags and put them on. She glanced at Dale. "I need you to scrub up exactly as I just did. There is a set of large rubber gloves in that box over there for you to use. Shane I'll need you to help him rinse."

Both men nodded.

"I've got to sterilize my tools. Once I do that, we can get started."

Anna opened her surgical kit and began taking out each instrument one at a time. She took cotton pads doused with hydrogen peroxide and wiped down each implement thoroughly. She then laid them out on a tray. Dale, freshly scrubbed, came to her side. She met his eyes. "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Okay, let's go through the items I have here, just so there's no confusion during the procedure." She pointed to the tray. "The first and most obvious thing is the scalpel, next is the forceps, then the hemostatic clamp, scissors, sponges, antiseptic, cotton swabs, tape and sutures. We'll also begin the procedure by administering an IV. Do you have any questions before we get started?"

Dale shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Let's do this then."

Anna went to Daryl's side and laid out his left arm. She tied on a rubber tourniquet a few inches above his elbow. Having found a good vein, she wiped down the inside of his arm with an alcohol pad. Pulling the skin taut, she inserted the needle catheter. Once she was sure she hit the vein, she removed the needle and the tourniquet. She then attached the IV to the catheter and taped the line to his arm. "Okay" she said to Dale. "We'll let this get going for a few minutes and then we'll begin."

Once enough time had passed for the IV to take effect, Anna removed the bandage from Daryl's abdomen. She took the antiseptic and a cotton swab and thoroughly coated the area. Using the scalpel, she made a clean incision into the wound. Dale handed her the forceps. After she removed the bullet she began to look for the cause of the hemorrhage. It was his liver. The bullet had nicked it and there was a slow steady trickle of blood emanating from it. She called for the clamp and then pinched off the blood flow. Using the sponges, she absorbed the excess blood. She then took the suture and began to close the tear. When she was finished she clipped the excess thread and removed the clamp. _Good. The hard part is over._ Finally she stitched closed the incision and applied a clean bandage.

She looked over her shoulder at Dale. "That's it."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad that's over."

"Me too. Lucky for us, we didn't have any complications. Thanks for the help Dale. I couldn't have done it without you. Now all we can do is wait."

* * *

><p>Anna began loading the supplies back into her Jeep, when it dawned on her, the note. How could she have forgotten about it? She ran around to the front of the SUV and climbed in. <em>Now where did I put that thing? I must have dropped it in the struggle.<em>

She fumbled around looking for it, finding it in the floorboard in the back. She read it one more time.

_Anna,_

_If you are reading this that means you're alive. Michael and I made it out of __Atlanta__. We got separated from Steven so we are leaving a note for him too. We are staying at the __Central State Hospital __in Milledgeville. This place is safe and we have everything we need. On the back of this paper is a map to our location. Find us._

_David_

A week and a half ago Anna couldn't have imagined anything that would have made her happier. She truly believed she would never see them again. Now there was a whole new set of circumstances that confused the matter. She liked these people she was with. Dale and Jacqui treated her like family and then there was Daryl. Daryl had complicated things most of all.


	11. Chapter 11

Daryl woke feeling like he'd been beaten with a baseball bat. Every breath he took felt like fire. He cringed at the thought that he would have to continue to inhale. He was confused. Why was he in pain and why was he in Dale's camper? He looked down to see a clean white bandage under his ribs. That would explain the pain, he thought. He tried to think back to the last thing he remembered. Then it came to him. There was a walker in camp. A shot of panic ran through him. He must have been bitten or scratched.

Daryl grabbed the bandage and ripped it off. He looked down expecting to see some sort of bloody gash but all he saw was a neatly stitched line. He relaxed for a moment. It definitely didn't look like a bite.

He pushed himself up onto his elbows, blinded momentarily by the sun beaming through the window. He looked around and saw Anna sleeping quietly in the chair next to him. She had her knees curled up to her chin with her head resting on her shoulder. There was no way she could possibly be comfortable. He wondered how long she had been there. He cleared his throat, waking her up. "Hey."

Anna smiled, rubbing her eyes. "Hi. You're finally awake. How are you feeling?"

"Like I just got hit by a truck."

"I'm not surprised. I've got some pain medicine I can give you. It's not that strong but it should help."

"Thanks."

Anna went over to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. She handed it to him along with a couple of white pills.

Daryl tossed the pills back. "I guess I'll ask the obvious question. What the hell happened to me?"

"You were shot."

"I was shot?" Daryl said incredulously, letting the words register in his mind. "Who the hell shot me?"

"Shane accidentally shot you. A walker went after you in camp and Shane tried to shoot it. Unfortunately for you, it wasn't coordinated and it fell right as Shane fired. You took the bullet instead."

"I should have known that son of a bitch would eventually shoot me. What about the bullet? It still there?"

"No, I removed it."

"I was just noticing your work. It looks like you did a good job. Shouldn't be much of a scar."

"Yeah, not bad for a dentist."

Daryl's eyes widened.

Anna smiled at him. "I'm kidding of course."

"Funny, but I wouldn't quit your day job." He raised his brow. "Just what is your day job anyway? I mean I know Jacqui said you were a doctor but she didn't say what kind."

"I'm a surgical oncologist."

"That's cancer?"

"That's right. I don't normally remove bullets in my line of work but I have had plenty of practice stitching people up."

"Surgical oncologist" Daryl said to himself. "How'd you get into that line of work? Your dad a doctor or something?"

"No. Far from it. He was a tire inspector for Goodyear."

"So what made you decide to become a doctor then?"

"It's a long story."

Daryl looked around. "It doesn't look like I'm going anywhere anytime soon. Spill it."

Anna hesitated. "Okay, if you really must know. My dad was the reason I became a doctor. He didn't push me in that direction or anything but he was the reason. He got sick."

Daryl gave her a look, encouraging her to go on.

She gathered her thoughts for a moment. "When I was eleven years old my dad took me to my school's Halloween festival. We were waiting in line to get tickets when he doubled over in pain. We had to leave. My mom took my dad to the hospital that night. The doctor said it was diverticulitis. He prescribed my dad some pain medicine and told him to get some rest."

Daryl noticed her bottom lip begin to quiver.

"Six months later he was dead. Turned out he had colon cancer."

Daryl caught her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"I always blamed the doctor for not finding it. I don't know if it would have changed anything. I'm sure it was pretty advanced at that time, but at that age I believed he could have been saved. I decided then that I would become a doctor and I'd be a better one than my dad had."

"It's tough not having a dad around. I know. Mine died when I was a kid too. He wasn't exactly a stand up guy though, just an alcoholic who ended up drinking himself to death. The worst part is it pretty much killed my mom too. She couldn't handle being alone and would bring home a different dead beat every night. She eventually got into drugs and then I ceased to exist."

Anna frowned. "That must have been hard for you."

"I learned to get by on my own. I was actually glad when my mom was out of the house. When she wasn't I had to deal with her boyfriends. Most of the time they were high or drunk. After a couple of them beat the shit out of me, I began to lock myself in my room. I never really saw much of her after that. I was lucky my old man had taught me to hunt, cause I needed to bring food into the house. After a while it became second nature."

"I was never as strong as you. I was always a daddy's girl. My mom tried hard but she couldn't fill the void my dad left. It really strained our relationship. Outside of me, my dad was my mother's whole world. When she died a few years ago, they said it was heart disease, but I think she just didn't have the will to keep living. She never really had any fight in her anymore. I got into oncology because I didn't want other people to suffer like my family did. I really believed I could save every one of my patients. I took it as a personal failure when I couldn't.

"You know you can't save everyone."

"I know, but I have to try." She took a deep breath. "I'm going to let you rest. That medicine I gave you is going to make you sleepy. I'll check in on you later to see how you're doing."

"Thanks Doc."

She smiled at him and turned to go.


	12. Chapter 12

_One week later:_

Daryl followed Anna to the quarry. He grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her toward him. He looked her straight in the eyes. "I want to teach you how to shoot."

"I appreciate that, but as I said before it's not necessary."

"Damn it Anna, why are you being so stubborn? Dale told me about what happened on the interstate. A walker almost killed you. I want to make sure you can protect yourself."

"I'm not being stubborn. I just don't need you to teach me. I already know how to shoot."

Daryl looked at her, sizing her up. "You know how to shoot?"

Anna sighed. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. You just don't strike me as a person who'd know their way around a gun."

"Look, when I was six, my dad had me shooting paper cups off my swing set with a BB gun. My boyfriend in college was a weapons instructor for the Air Force. I spent plenty of time with him at the shooting range. Believe me I can shoot."

"When was the last time you actually did it?"

"Just a week ago when I shot that walker on the highway" she said emphatically.

Frustrated, Daryl raised his voice. "You shot it from like three inches away. Name a time other than that."

"I don't know. It's been years I guess. Not since college."

"Don't you think it would be a good idea to knock the rust off?"

"Maybe."

"Look, why don't you and I drive out somewhere tomorrow and let you shoot a few rounds? Give you a chance to hone your skills."

Anna took a moment to think it over. "I don't think it's necessary, but for you I'll go."

"Good. It's a date."

* * *

><p>The next afternoon Anna climbed into Daryl's truck. She waited as he loaded his handguns, ammunition and the bottles to be used as targets. He said, "There are some roads up ahead that I've seen while hunting. I thought we'd check those out. It really doesn't matter where we go just as long as it's far enough away. We don't want to draw any walkers towards camp."<p>

Daryl cranked up the engine and pulled out onto the quarry road. They headed into the woods, Daryl scanning as they went. After several miles, he pointed to a clearing. "That looks like a good spot."

They pulled over and Daryl jumped out. "Wait here a minute."

He walked over to the small field and checked to make sure that everything looked okay. He trotted back and began unloading the truck. "This place'll work."

Daryl looked around and found a small pine tree that had fallen near the edge of the clearing. He dragged it over and propped it up on a couple of pieces of the tree's broken trunk. He then began to set the sand filled plastic bottles on top. Satisfied with what he had done he walked back to Anna. "Now that I've got everything set up we can get started."

He pulled one of the guns out of his bag. "Why don't we start with this one? It's a Glock 19. It's pretty light weight." He handed the gun to Anna. "There's no external safety, so when you put your finger on the trigger it's ready to go."

Anna stood in front of the first target feeling a twinge of nerves as Daryl watched her. She took a deep breath and raised the gun. Stretching out her arms, she lined the sight up with her eye. She fired a shot and it went wide right. Maybe I do need the practice, she thought.

Daryl came up behind her and put his arms around hers, helping her line up the next shot. She felt a warm flush run through her. She fired the gun and hit the first plastic bottle, knocking it over. "Now try it on your own" he said.

Anna steadied herself and fired at the second bottle. It was a good shot and she watched it fly from its perch. She continued firing, knocking off the other bottles as well.

Daryl nodded his head in approval. "That's pretty impressive. I guess you didn't have as much rust on you as I thought. You're calm when you shoot."

"I should be. I'm a surgeon. Steady hands are a job requirement."

He gave her a wry grin. "I do appreciate that trait in someone coming at me with a knife."

Daryl walked over to his bag and pulled out another gun. He switched it with the Glock. "I'll let you try the Browning and see how you do with that one."

He went back to reset the bottles when he noticed something off in the distance. He walked closer to get a better look.

Anna said, "What is it?"

Daryl pointed off into the woods. "You see that outline over there behind that big oak tree? It looks like a house or something."

Anna walked up to his side and followed his arm with her eyes. "I see it. It looks like there's more than one."

"I think it might be worth checking out. Let me put everything back in the truck and then we can take a look"

Daryl loaded the pickup. He put the Browning on his hip and handed the Glock back to Anna. "Hold on to this just in case."

She took the gun and slid it into the waist of her jeans. They began to walk across the clearing. When they hit the edge of the woods Daryl turned to her. "Follow in my footsteps."

She nodded okay.

They carefully made their way through the trees and brush. Daryl was making sure not to step on anything that would draw attention to them. Anna did her best to stay in his line. As they approached their destination, they saw ten small cabins come into sight, five on either side of a path.

Daryl got down on one knee. "This must be some sort of a camp." He pointed to some rails by one of the cabins. "Those are hitching posts. This was probably a riding camp." He thought for a moment. "This might not be a bad place to move the group to. Those cabins would be better protection than tents, especially since it's gonna get cold soon."

Before Anna could respond, they heard a terrible racket coming from the woods. Daryl grabbed her and pulled her in between two of the cabins. He turned to her and put his finger to his mouth. She nodded, her heart racing a mile a minute. The sound was getting closer and Daryl was trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. Whatever it was, was moving fast and baring down on them. They heard a loud snort, then squealing, and finally a guttural scream.


	13. Chapter 13

Daryl moved to the corner of the cabin and looked back out to the path. He saw a horde of walkers frantically feeding on a fallen horse. The scene was far worse than he'd prepared for. He turned and rushed back to Anna, grabbing her by the shoulders. "We've got a situation. Don't panic. I'm gonna get you out of here."

Hearing the word panic made Anna's adrenaline level soar. She already knew something terrible was happening from the sounds just a few yards away. Daryl took her by the arm and ran with her towards the other end of the cabin.

"Damn it, a fence."

Daryl drew a deep breath. "We're gonna have to go out the other side. Our only shot is to get inside the cabin. I don't want you to look at anything but my back. Okay."

She nodded, her eyes wide and alert.

He took her by the hand and whispered. "Let's go."

The two of them took off, Daryl pulling Anna behind him. She fought every urge she had to look as they ran out from between the buildings. They turned the corner and raced up the stairs to the small dwelling.

Daryl grabbed the door knob and gave it a turn. It was locked. He throw his shoulder against the door and with one swift motion, it broke open. The noise from the impact attracted the attention of several walkers that had not had a chance to take part in the feeding frenzy. They began to stagger towards the cabin. Their exodus drew the attention of other walkers and they all began to migrate like a slow moving sea of death.

Daryl slammed the door shut and quickly slid the chain lock closed. He knew that it wouldn't hold but he hoped it would buy a little time. He looked around the room to find something to secure the door.

The cabin was split into two sections. On the left side ran four bunk beds and on the right matching single beds.

By now the walkers had made their way onto the porch. Anna watched as they began to stack up like cord wood, pushing against the door like a fluid battering ram. The chain lock started to rattle and began to break free from the strain. Daryl ran over to one of the bunk beds. It was good and heavy and he shoved it in front of the door. He then continued to go back pushing the remaining bunk beds behind it.

Anna could hear the walkers moaning as they banged against the front of the cabin. She wondered if it would ever stop. Finally the chain lock quieted. The barricade had worked.

Anna was visibly shaken. Daryl went to her and took her in his arms. "We're safe. They aren't getting through that door. We'll just have to wait them out."

Daryl moved Anna to one of the single beds and took the gun from her. He pulled off her shoes and she propped herself up against the headboard. The bed was covered only in a plastic sheet and Anna wondered how long it had been since somebody had slept there. She had to imagine it was under happier circumstances than the one she was currently in.

Daryl walked to the bed beside of her's and sat down. He watched as she pulled her knees to her chest. "Tell me about your dad. You mentioned earlier how he taught you to shoot."

Daryl saw her begin to relax. "My dad?...I wouldn't know where to start."

"How about the beginning?"

She glanced at him, giving him a half smile. "Well, I guess the first thing you should know is that he really wanted a son. I was supposed to be Andrew, but if he was disappointed he never showed it. I went with my dad everywhere. I was like his shadow. I was fascinated by all his hobbies like go-cart racing, target shooting, camping, model rockets. You name it, my dad did it. He always included me. I was the biggest tomboy. I didn't even know how to relate to girls. It certainly didn't help when I got into middle school. I was the most comfortable hanging out with the boys and because of that the girls were awful to me. My mom couldn't understand why I didn't have more girl friends. She sent me to a camp, a lot like this one, the summer before my freshman year of high school. She said it would be a good way to make some new friends. Once I got there I ran into the son of one of my dad's go-cart racing buddies. He remembered me from the track. Apparently one of the girls from my school had already set her sights on him. She and her posse spent the next few weeks making my life hell. I had never felt so alone. That's when I missed my dad the most. He knew me better than anyone."

Anna looked up realizing that she had just gone on a five minute diatribe. "Sorry I just unloaded all that on you."

"Don't be. I'm surprised. I woulda never taken you for a tomboy."

"Well it's true. Deep down I still am." She looked at him. "Enough about me. What about you? We never talked about what you did before all this hell began."

He layed back on the bed. "I worked construction mostly."

Anna rolled onto her side to face him. "What made you get into that?"

"I started doing it during summer breaks when I was a teenager. I got paid under the table so it was a good way to make money. I kind of got stuck when I got kicked out of school."

He looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought for a moment. "You'll probably find it hard to believe but I actually liked school, well elementary school anyway. Everything changed when I got to high school though. I spent as much time in detention as I did class. Eventually I got thrown out all together. Sometimes I wonder what my life woulda been like if I had toughed it out."

"Well I think you're pretty sharp. You're one of the few people I've met outside of the medical field that knew what an oncologist was without me having to explain it."

He smiled.

"So how long do you think we're going to be here?"

"I don't know, but if those walkers don't leave soon, be prepared to spend the night."


	14. Chapter 14

Dusk began to fall and the walker count outside of the cabin still exceeded the bullet count inside. Anna peered out the window and watched them mill around. "What do you think they're doing out there?"

"I'm not sure. They're probably fat and happy right now considering the meal they just had. I'm thinking once they get hungry again they'll move on."

Anna glanced around the room. "It's going to be dark soon. What are we going to do for light?"

Daryl walked towards the back of the cabin. "I saw a couple of lanterns when I was moving the beds."

He went to the far left corner and took them down off their hooks. He checked to see if either of them had any fuel left. "We got lucky. We can use this one. Go ahead and close the curtain."

Anna took one last look at the slow moving parade of walkers and pulled the curtain shut.

Daryl removed a lighter from his pocket and attempted to light the lantern. After a couple of tries it finally took. He set it on the floor, warmly illuminating the room. "You might as well get comfortable. We'll be here till morning."

He walked over to one of the beds and pulled off his boots before settling in for the night.

Anna shivered, becoming aware of the cool night air that was setting in. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, wishing she had a jacket.

Daryl watched her. "Why don't you come over here with me? The least I can do is keep you warm."

His invitation had caught her off guard and Anna felt a nervous twinge of energy shoot through her. She was almost afraid to face him, fearing he could see her heart pounding in her chest. She anxiously stepped over to the side of his bed.

Daryl gave her a grin and patted the mattress. "Come here. I promise I'm not gonna bite."

Anna climbed in next to him secretly hoping that wasn't true. With her back to him, he wrapped his arms around her and she melted against his chest. She could feel him breathing softly against her ear and the warmth sent chills through her body. She shivered again. He pulled her close and she could feel him begin to harden against the small of her back. When he didn't pull away, she thought he was sending her a message. She hesitated for a moment, thinking maybe she was mistaken. When he pulled her tighter against him, she knew that she wasn't.

As the moments passed, Anna knew Daryl was waiting for her to make the first move. She had never been in that position before. She had always let the man be in control. You can never make the wrong move if you make no move at all was her motto. Her insecurities were getting the best of her. _What if I do this and I'm wrong?_ _What if this isn't what he wants?_ She was doing it again, over analyzing everything. Finally common sense kicked in. He's rock hard against your back. Do you really think he's going to say no? God, why didn't he just throw her down and make it easy for her?

Anna summoned her nerve and turned toward him. It was the only encouragement he needed. He took her face in his hands and pulled her to him. He kissed her slowly and deeply, his tongue finding hers. She couldn't remember the last time she was kissed like that. She couldn't remember the last time she _wanted_ to be kissed like that. He rose and gently rolled her onto her back. He ran his fingers under her shirt grazing her stomach with the tips of his thumbs. She shuddered from the unexpected heat of his touch.

Daryl carefully lifted Anna's shirt over her head before returning to her mouth. His hands trailed down her back, releasing the clasp of her bra, sliding it off her shoulders. Leaning into her, he began kissing her neck. He nipped at the skin with his teeth, lightly at first and then harder as he worked his way down. He could hear her moan softly against his ear. He cupped her breasts with his hands and then with his mouth, slowly teasing her with his tongue. He could feel her body tremble beneath him. He shifted to her waist and with both hands raised her hips, kissing her stomach and pelvis as his slipped her jeans and panties off.

Anna impatiently opened Daryl's zipper, helping him out of his pants. She watched as he lifted his shirt over his head, the shadows from the lantern emphasizing the curves of his arms and the definition of his chest. She felt her knees get weak at the thought of his weight on top of her.

Daryl slid down to Anna's feet and began working his way up from her toes. He methodically traced the lines of her body with his mouth. Reaching his destination between her thighs, he began to explore her with his tongue. Her breathing quickened and he watched as her head tipped back and her back began to arch. He could feel the heat emanating from her, feel her readiness for him. Her hips started to writhe and her response made him throb even harder. He didn't know how long he could wait.

Anna could hear Daryl's breathing become slow and heavy, the hotness of his breath igniting every fiber of her being. She wound her fingers in his hair as his mouth moved over her. She had never been with a man so adept with his tongue. She wanted him inside her, the anticipation too much to take. She rolled out from under him, unable to wait any longer. She straddled him and settled her weight on his hips. She softly kissed his chest and ran her fingers across his abdomen, carefully avoiding the bandage beneath his ribs. She took him in her hand and he groaned as she slid him inside her.

Daryl pulled Anna to him, finding her mouth and breasts with each rhythmic movement. She worked him slowly and deliberately until his body was on the verge of erupting. He couldn't take anymore. He grabbed her and pushed her roughly to the bed. He positioned himself on top of her and drove inside her.

His movements were like controlled violence and Anna was startled by the intensity of it. He locked eyes with her and she turned away, the intimacy of it too much.

Daryl turned her face toward him and whispered, "Tell me you want this".

He drove deeply into her once more and she gasped, "Oh God Daryl...I want this."

With each thrust she came closer and closer to the edge, her nails leaving proof on his back. He toyed with her, varying the speed and depth of his assault. Unable to hold on any longer, she climaxed, her body convulsing beneath him. Daryl took her face in his hands and pushed her hair back with his thumbs. She closed her eyes as he kissed her mouth. He thrust inside her one last time. Groaning in release, he collapsed on top of her.


	15. Chapter 15

Anna woke to find Daryl standing shirtless in front of the window. She watched him as he pulled the curtain back, admiring the cut of his arms. She thought about the night before, when she had fallen asleep with them wrapped tightly around her. She almost regretted having to leave.

Daryl noticed her rise and turned to her with a stoic look on his face. "We should get going soon. It looks like the walkers have cleared out for now. We don't want to take a chance on them coming back."

It wasn't the greeting she'd hoped for. "Okay. I'll get dressed."

Anna picked her clothes off the floor and began putting on her jeans.

He walked over and handed her the Glock. "Don't forget about this."

She looked up at him, trying to read his eyes, but found nothing.

Daryl pulled his shirt on and sat down on the bed lacing up his boots. When he was done he began moving the bunk beds back to their original positions. Anna finished dressing, watching him as he worked. When the room was back in order, he grabbed his gun and checked the window one more time. Seeing nothing outside, he opened the chain lock.

Daryl turned to her. "Wait here. I'm gonna check and make sure there are no strays hanging around."

Anna waited. She couldn't help but notice that Daryl seemed distant. _He must be regretting what happened last night. _Her heart sank. She didn't expect him to be all over her but she certainly didn't expect this level of indifference.

After a few minutes he returned. "Everything's clear. Let's head back."

The two of them left the cabin, Daryl pulling the door closed behind him. They began retracing the path they took the day before, Daryl a few steps in front of her. Anna worried less about what might be lurking in the woods and more about what was going on with him. _What could have changed so quickly?_ Just a few hours ago, she was lying on his chest and he was running his fingers through her hair. He certainly didn't give any indication that anything was wrong. She desperately wanted to ask him what but was afraid of what he might say. She would rather think the worse than confirm it.

Anna internally chastised herself for not focusing on the bigger picture. She could be attacked at any moment by something that would be more than happy to rip her throat out. _I obviously need to get my priorites straight._

The two of them made it safely to the truck and Daryl glanced at her as they climbed in. Even though she was fully clothed, she felt completely exposed. They rode in silence on the way back, every rock that was kicked up on the outside of the truck, drawing attention to the quietness inside. The trip seemed to take twice as long as before. Anna stared out the passenger window trying to will the camp into sight.

When they finally made it back, they were greeted immediately by Dale and Jacqui.

Jacqui ran up to hug her. "We thought something terrible had happened to you two."

Caught in her embrace, Anna became self-conscious, keenly aware that she smelled like sex. She prayed it wasn't noticeable to anyone else. The last thing she wanted was to spark a conversation about her and Daryl, especially since she didn't know what was going on between them.

Dale's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Where have you guys been?"

Anna left the question for Daryl. "We found a campground a few miles away and decided to check it out. While we were there we got swarmed by walkers. We had to hole up in one of the cabins until they cleared out."

Anna finished his statement in her head. _We also had mind-blowing sex and now I'm acting like it never happened_.

Jacqui's eyes widened. "Well we're glad you made it back safely."

Dale agreed. "Why don't you two come back to the camper and have some breakfast? You must be starving by now."

Anna didn't have much of an appetite but she nodded anyway. She couldn't imagine anything that would be more awkward. Once inside, she sat down at the table and Daryl sat across from her. They both did their best not to make eye contact.

Anna spent most of the time pushing her food around on her plate and nodding to the conversation going on around her. She was sure she had only been sitting there minutes but it felt like hours. The tension in her neck and shoulders had begun to make her physically tired. _Make it stop already._ She screamed inside her head. Finally it did. She watched Daryl stand up and move away from the table. He said something as he left but she had no idea what it was.

After breakfast, Daryl gathered his gear and left for the woods. Anna had missed the part of the conversation where he'd mentioned going hunting. She was sure that this was his way of avoiding her. She decided to walk down to the quarry. She needed the time alone. Sitting on the edge of the lake with her feet in the water, she let the sun beat down on her. It was oddly cathartic. She closed her eyes and tried to push all thoughts out of her mind but she couldn't. The events of the night before kept trickling in. She pictured Daryl on top of her, remembering the way his body felt, remembering the way he had made her feel.

That was quickly pushed aside. She thought about his apathetic response to her and the way he avoided any physical contact. She tried over and over to pinpoint what she may have done to elicit his reaction. She began to doubt herself. Maybe last night wasn't as good for him as it was for her. He probably had sex like that all the time. She didn't. Most of the time she couldn't fit in a coffee date much less a physical relationship. The ones she did have were generally limited to pharmaceutical sales reps or visiting doctors. They weren't normally the most passionate types and most of their interactions could be described as paint-by-numbers at best. She had gotten so used to it she didn't even realize what she had been missing.

Anna finally got tired of mentally beating herself up. She would have to let it go or ask him. Either way, it was going to hurt and she didn't want to waste any more time dwelling on it. Normally she would have just moved on, finding some excuse that was just palatable enough for her to accept, but she had made a promise to herself to stop being such a pushover. She decided as soon as Daryl got back she would talk to him. The old Anna would never have done that, so she felt like she was moving in the right direction. Of course, the old Anna wouldn't have jumped in bed with a man she had known for such a short period of time in the first place.


	16. Chapter 16

_The next day:_

It was late afternoon and Anna saw Daryl at the edge of camp. She knew his hunt had been successful from the deer he had strung up in a tree. She watched as he began to clean it. Animals had always been her weak spot and normally a sight like that would have turned her stomach. Now after everything she had seen, all she felt was numb. She took a moment to gather herself, her knees already weak from the nervous energy building inside her. She focused her thoughts. _Treat this like pulling off a Band-Aid. The sooner you do it, the sooner it's over._ If only her legs would cooperate. She forced herself to move. Daryl glanced at her from the corner of his eye as she walked towards him. "I was hoping we could talk."

Daryl stopped what he was doing. "Talk."

His tone was flat and unaffected. He isn't going to make this easy, she thought. _Don't beat around the bush, just throw it out there._

"I want to know what's going on with us." There. She said it. No taking it back now.

He turned to her. "Nothing's going on."

_God, he was making this hard. Could he possibly be more vague?_ She tried to read him, but his face was expressionless.

"It feels like something. We spend the night together and now things seem different. You seem different."

He narrowed his eyes. "What were you expecting?"

The question surprised her. She didn't really know what she was expecting.

"I don't know. Not this."

"What happened the other night was just sex, something to pass the time. Don't read anything more into it than that."

He said it matter-of-factly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She felt like she had been punched in the stomach. It couldn't have hurt any worse if she had been.

He turned his focus back to the deer. "Of course, I'm always up for another roll in the hay if that's what you want."

He said it in an almost mocking tone and Anna could feel herself flush. Was he actually patronizing her? Her blood started to pump from a combination of anger and embarrassment. She was about to walk away, when something in her snapped. Overwhelmed by a sea of emotion, she lashed out at him.

"So this was all an act….I spilled my heart out to you about my family, my job, everything that's important to me. You pretend to be this sensitive guy, someone who actually cared about me and for what? To get me in the sack?"

She caught her breath and waited for him to respond. He didn't.

Her body began to feel heavy, like the situation had a physical weight that was slowly suffocating her. She was sure that she was drowning.

"You know I thought that day with Shane was the worst any man would ever make me feel. I was wrong, because this feels worse…..God, I'm nothing but a door mat. I never even said one word about what Shane did to me. You know why?...Because I didn't want to be a problem for anyone, not even him. I guess you figured I wouldn't be a problem for you either."

She didn't expect to get a response and didn't. As soon as she was finished she wanted to take it back. Drawing any comparison to Shane wasn't fair, but it was too late and she was too hurt.

Anna walked away before she broke down. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She hurried back to camp, the tears starting to flow. She brushed by Shane and he grabbed her by the arm. "Where are you rushing off to?"

She shrugged out of his hold. "Don't _ever_ put you goddamn hands on me again."

He looked at her, stunned by the outburst. _Good. I should have said that two weeks ago._

Anna ran to her SUV and climbed in, momentarily comforted by the familiarity of something that was her own. It was the one thing she still had that tied her to her previous life, a life much less complicated. She almost laughed. It was hard to believe that her hectic schedule would suddenly seem so simple. What she wouldn't give to be working an eighteen hour day. She thought of the hospital. It had been her sanctuary, a place where she always felt in control. Right now she felt completely out of control.

She took a deep breath as the tears streamed down her face. She desperately needed a tissue. She fumbled around inside the glove compartment trying to locate the box she normally kept there. She found David's note instead. She read it again.

_Anna,_

_If you are reading this that means you're alive. Michael and I made it out of Atlanta. We got separated from Steven so we are leaving a note for him too. We are staying at the Central State Hospital in Milledgeville. This place is safe and we have everything we need. On the back of this paper is a map to our location. Find us._

_David_

Milledgeville. David and Michael were there, colleagues, friends, people she could always count on. She thought about the hospital they had chosen as their home. It made a lot of sense. Central State catered to those with mental illness and developmental disabilities. It was also where they sent the criminally insane. If it had to keep patients from getting out it would also prevent the unwanted from getting in. She flipped over the piece of paper and looked at the map. It was a little more than 100 miles away. She cranked up the Jeep and checked the fuel. There was more than enough gas to get there. She needed to be in control again. Milledgeville was where she belonged. Her mind was made up. She would leave first thing in the morning.

* * *

><p>Anna spent the rest of the evening preparing for her departure, glad to have something to focus on other than Daryl. The first thing she did was put together a medical kit for the camp. She wanted to make sure they had what they needed after she was gone. She wrote a letter to Jacqui. She'd let Dale know she was leaving in person but she didn't want to make a big scene in front of everyone else. She placed a couple of bottles of water in the Jeep. She couldn't imagine she'd have any problems, but after collapsing that day in the woods, she didn't want to take any chances. The rest of the packing was easy. Her only possessions were the clothes she had on.<p>

With everything taken care of, Anna crawled into bed. It was earlier than normal, but she was tired and wanted to be alone. She looked around the camper realizing this would be the last night she would spend there. She reflected on its significance. Her life had changed so much in the past three weeks. The most obvious being she was alive. As much as she hated him right now, Daryl was the reason she was. It seemed impossible to believe she could hate and love someone so much at the same time. Love, she thought. That's the first time she admitted it to herself. Was that even possible? All she knew was whatever it was; she felt it to the core. Damn it. She was going to cry again. She didn't think she could possibly produce another tear, but there it was.


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning Anna woke to the sun warming her face. She had tossed and turned most of the night. At some point she must have fallen asleep. She raised herself up, feeling heavy and lethargic, like her body had been buried in sand. She reluctantly rolled out of bed with the hope that the day before had been a bad dream. The crumpled tissue lying next to her said otherwise. She pulled on her jeans, confirming that David's note was still in the pocket. Having it close by gave her a sense of security. As long as she had it, she had choices. She finished dressing and took a moment to sit. She glanced around the room one last time, trying to commit it to memory. She knew she would think of this place often. For whatever reason, she wanted to make sure she got the details right. She picked up the letter she had written to Jacqui and began tapping it absently in her hand. There was no reason to delay the day's events. She might as well get on with it.

Anna stepped outside, surprised to find the camp empty. She must have slept longer than she thought. She was relieved. The less people she had to face, the better. Just then she heard Dale's voice call out to her.

"Good morning. I didn't think you were ever going to get up."

She looked up to see him gazing down at her from the top of the camper. She smiled. "I must have been more tired than I thought."

"Well I hope you aren't coming down with anything. You didn't look like you were feeling well yesterday."

Anna climbed the ladder to join him, suddenly feeling a twinge of butterflies in her stomach.

Dale looked at her sensing something was off. "What's wrong?"

She hesitated. "I wanted to tell you goodbye."

"Goodbye?"

"I'm leaving."

Dale searched her face. "What do you mean you're leaving?"

"I'm going to join my friends. You remember the people I told you about. The ones I got separated from on the highway."

Dale narrowed his eyes. "I remember them, but I don't understand. How are you going to find these people?"

"I know where they are."

Anna pulled out the note and showed it to him. "I found this in my Jeep the day I went back to get the medical supplies." "I always planned on leaving", she lied. "I only stayed as long as I did to make sure Daryl got back on his feet. After everything he's done for me, I owed him that much."

Dale took a deep breath, concern showing on his face. "Anna I really wish you wouldn't do this. You belong here with us."

She felt herself start to well up, the realization setting in of just what an emotional train wreck she had become.

"Don't you dare make me cry. This is really hard for me, but the people I left have been the closest thing to family I have. I need to get back to them."

"I don't know what to say. I understand you have reasons to go but you have just as many reasons to stay. We care about you too."

She smiled, touched by his words. "And I care about you, but this is something I have to do."

He shook his head. "This seems dangerous to me. I don't like the idea of you out there alone."

"Don't worry about me. I don't plan on setting foot outside of the Jeep."

"I'm not letting you leave, knowing you can't protect yourself."

Anna thought about the gun Daryl had given her. She had planned on leaving it, but Dale's concern had convinced her otherwise.

"I have the gun Daryl gave me in case I get into trouble. I'll be fine."

"So Daryl knows about this?"

"Of course", she lied again.

Dale raised his brow. "And he's fine with it?"

"Yes."

She handed Dale the letter to Jacqui. "Can you make sure Jacqui gets this? She's been a great friend to me. I want to make sure that she knows that."

He nodded.

Anna gave him a hug. "Take care of yourself."

Dale's eyes softened. "Promise you will too."

She squeezed his hand.

Anna climbed down from the camper and walked to the Jeep. She got in and locked the doors, drawing a deep breath. This would be the first time she was on her own since that day in the woods. She glanced at the gun lying on the passenger's seat, glad to have the additional piece of mind. _This shouldn't be a big deal. All I have to do is stick to the map. Easy. At least it should be._

Anna cranked up the engine and put the SUV in drive. She turned her head back one last time watching Dale as he waved to her. _Damn._ This was harder than she thought. She pulled out, consulting the map. She had to take US-29 to I-20. I-20 would take up the largest portion of the trip. From there she would hit US-441. She hoped that since she was heading out of the city the roads would be clear. David had made this trip before; surely he wouldn't send her any place that would be dangerous.

Anna drove past the quarry and thought of the day Daryl had stopped her there, insisting on teaching her how to shoot. She realized she had misinterpreted his concern and her stomach started to knot.

She continued the rest of the way forcing out all thoughts but the road in front of her. The ride progressed uneventfully, but she didn't relax. The run in with the walker on the highway had taught her to stay alert. She had been driving for almost an hour and a half when she saw the first sign for Milledgeville. She was getting close.

She reviewed the map again and continued on, looking for Roberson Mill Road. From there, the hospital was a little less than seven miles away. She slowed down when she found it and turned right. She saw the Milledgeville mall come into view. She was now firmly in the city, or what was left of the city. Milledgeville was a ghost town. Every store she passed had been looted and trash littered the streets. She was forced to focus more on the road, trying to avoid the larger pieces of debris.

Suddenly she felt the Jeep begin to pull and heard a dull thumping sound. _You have to be kidding me. _She knew exactly what it was. A flat tire. She was so close.

Anna figured she had two options, change it or drive on it. The thought of leaving herself exposed while she struggled to change a tire wasn't very appealing. To be honest she didn't even know if she could do it. She had never actually attempted it before. One thing about the south, chivalry was not dead. Driving on the tire seemed like the better way to go. No chance of anything grabbing her if she didn't actually leave the vehicle. Seven more miles was all she needed, maybe she could make it.

Anna was forced to slow way down as the tire thumped rhythmically against the asphalt. The next turn would be onto Allen Memorial Drive. It should be about four miles away, but that seemed like an eternity when driving at her current rate of speed. Finally, she saw the sign. She had just made the left when she realized she was going no farther. Her rim had been obliterated. Looking at the map she determined she had a little over two miles to go. She'd have to go on foot. She slid the gun in the waist of her jeans. She could do this. Two miles wasn't that far.


	18. Chapter 18

Anna surveyed the area, looking for anything that might be lurking outside. Confident that the coast was clear, she jumped out of the Jeep. Just stick to the road, she thought. Maybe that wasn't the smartest move but somehow she felt safer in the open. She knew she would be more visible to whatever was out there but it would also be more visible to her. She figured it was an even trade off.

She needed to get to Irwinton Road. She began to run, scanning the street ahead and checking frequently over her shoulder. The thought of something catching her from behind was enough to keep her legs churning. Motivation was good, because she hated to run. She hated everything about it. She hated the way it made her shins feel, the constant stitch it left in her side, the burning it caused in her chest. In all her attempts, not once had she experienced the endorphin rush that was supposed to make it all worthwhile. Who knew, maybe she was doing it wrong.

Anna thought about Michael and all the times he tried to get her to run with him at the hospital. He swore it was the best way to reduce stress. If only she'd taken him up on it. Things might have been different. Maybe she would have been able to outrun those walkers. Maybe she wouldn't have needed Daryl to save her. Maybe she wouldn't have fallen for him. She knew she had to stop thinking that way. What was done was done. She needed to focus on the present and the present was getting back to Michael and David.

Anna was making good time when she began to feel the familiar stabbing pains in her side. She tried to block it out, telling herself she didn't have much farther to go. She continued to push on, setting imaginary goals along the way. _Just make it to that street sign, now that corner, now that traffic light._ The little achievements began to add up. Finally she saw it, Irwinton Road.

Anna slowed down when she realized she would be going from a main road to a residential street. There were cars parked all along the sides; any one of them could hide a walker. She took the right and positioned her hand on the gun. Watching for any sign of movement, she made her way down the narrow blacktop. She stopped in her tracks when she heard sounds coming from up the road.

Anna held her breath and ducked behind a pickup parked along the curb. She peered out in time to see a group of walkers making their way into the street. There had to be at least a dozen of them. _Stay calm. They don't know you're here._ She quietly moved along the side of the truck and tried to open the door. It was locked. She got low and skulked towards the car in front of it. Her heart pumping furiously as the walkers made their way towards her. She tried the handle. It opened. She slipped inside and carefully pulled the door closed, the only sound, a click. She locked the doors, another click. She climbed into the floorboard and lay there with the hump shoved into her midsection. She tried not to gasp from the pressure. She could hear them moving closer, the moaning growing louder. She kept her head down resisting the urge to look up. She waited, each minute an eternity. Then she heard it, tapping. She had to look. She slowly raised her head and saw the pasty face of a walker pressed against the driver's side window. _Shit!_ Did it see her? Could it smell her? She knew they had a good sense of smell, but could they do it through a car?

Anna put her hand on the gun and readied her finger on the trigger. She waited barely breathing, her body tense, her mind racing. She felt like a caged animal. By now the walkers had surrounded the car. She had to do something. She had made it this far. She wouldn't go down like this. She climbed into the back seat and watched as they banged against the windows. She couldn't believe she was about to do what she was going to do, but it was her only shot. She slid towards the door, her legs coiled like a spring. She grabbed the handle with one hand and unlocked the door with the other. In one sudden adrenaline fueled burst she kicked the door open, knocking the walkers backwards. She jumped out and began to run.

There would be no repeat of that day in the woods. She didn't need Daryl. She could do this on her own. She had less than a mile to go. She pushed herself like never before. Just when she thought her body would break and she couldn't go any farther, she found it, a second wind. Maybe this was that elusive endorphin rush she'd heard so much about. She made the left on Hardwick Street, now only half a mile more. She took a moment to look back. The walkers were gone but she still didn't stop. She kept pushing until she reached the end of the road. Then she saw it, the large brick sign that read Georgia Department of Human Resources Central State Hospital. She ran towards it, the feeling of relief and happiness washing over her.

The sign marked the entrance to a vast campus of buildings and streets. It looked more like a university than a hospital. Anna took a moment to catch her breath and pulled out the map. The Payton B. Cook building that housed the maximum-security forensics hospital was located at the far end of the grounds. There were still lots of areas to traverse before she reached her destination. The route took her past an auditorium, a dental clinic, a chapel and endless dorms. The place had everything. As she approached the outskirts of the campus, she saw it.

The Cook building was a large multi-story unit surrounded by a tall fence covered with razor wire. It was more prison than hospital. Anna ran towards the gate, trying to figure out how to get in. She saw the guard house and ducked inside. There she found a radio and a note addressed to her. The guys had thought of everything. She picked up the radio and pressed the button. "Michael, David can you hear me?" She waited a moment and then repeated herself.

Finally, she heard the radio crackle. "Oh my God. Anna is that you?"

She smiled. "Yes it's me. I'm out front."

"Anna, it's Michael. Hold tight. We're coming to get you."

Anna waited, flooded with emotions. She had made it. She was safe. She looked up to see David, Michael and Steven approaching her. She couldn't believe it. Steven had made it too. It hadn't registered until that moment. David had said he'd left two notes. There was only one in the Jeep. Steven must have found the other one.

Michael unlocked the gate and Anna rushed to meet him. He grabbed her in a bear hug, lifting her off her feet. "I can't believe it's really you. God, I've missed you."

Anna finally relaxed in the warmth of his embrace.

Steven said, "How about you let Anna out of that death grip before you squeeze the life out of her? We just now got her back."

David shook his head. "We started to give up hope of ever seeing you again. Where on earth have you been?"

Michael interjected before she could answer. "Anna's obviously exhausted. Why don't we let her get settled? She can tell us all about it later."

The three of them walked Anna into the building. They led her to a room on the first floor. David said, "Sorry about the accommodations. They're not ideal but considering what this place is, it's the best we can do."

Anna said, "Really, this is great."

Steven pointed to the room's half bath. "We have hot water here, at least for now anyway. There are showers down the hall if you're interested."

She nodded. "That would be nice."

Michael turned to her. "We'll let you get cleaned up. I'll come back a little later and we'll get some lunch."

She smiled. "Thanks. You guys are the best."

After showering, Anna had a chance to take in her room. It was painted industrial gray and held a bed, a side table and a chair. It looked like a sadly decorated hospital room, the only difference being the door locked from the outside. She sat on the bed, the realization setting in that this would be her new home.

She heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

It was Michael. "Lunch is ready. Care to join us."

"I thought you'd never ask."

Michael led Anna down the hall, pointing out items of interest along the way. "I figure we can give you a full tour of the place later."

"That would be great."

The two of them entered the dining room to find David and Steven already seated at one of the tables. Michael pulled out a chair for Anna and she sat down.

David looked at her. "So are you going to tell us where you've been the past three weeks? The curiosity is killing me."

Anna hesitated. "Before I start I want to know what made you guys choose this place."

David said, "That's easy. I worked here for a short period of time. Not in the forensics area but on the other side. It was one of the few places I could think of that had decent security. When Michael and I left the interstate we met up with a family that was heading to Florida. They offered to give us a ride. After we got settled we knew we had to go back. We thought there was a chance you and Steven would return to your Jeep. Luckily, we were right."

Anna turned to Steven. "What about you?"

"I never really left the area. I spent a couple of days hiding out in the woods. I eventually went back to get your SUV. That's when I found David's note. I figured you might actually come back like I did, so I left it there. I took a car that was abandoned on the road instead. Then I followed the map, same as you."

David raised his brow. "Okay now that you're filled in, tell us what happened to you."

Anna took a breath. "It all seems surreal now. The day we fled the highway I was chased into the woods. I don't know how long or how far I ran but at some point I collapsed. I would have been killed by a couple of walkers if not for a hunter that happened to be in the woods. He took them both down with his bow and carried me back to his camp. The people there took me in and watched over me until I was back on my feet."

Anna felt a wave of nausea come over her. The thought of Daryl and the events that brought them together had overwhelmed her. She guessed she had done a good job of pushing them to the back of her mind. Now it all came rushing back.

Michael said, "That's unbelievable. So you're saying a guy took out two walkers with a bow? Anna nodded. "He must be one hell of a shot."

Anna forced a smile. "Yeah, he's pretty amazing." _Damn it. It was true. Why couldn't he be a little less amazing? Why did this have to hurt so much? When was it going to stop?_


	19. Chapter 19

Daryl Dixon was lying low, not that he would admit it. He had slinked out of camp after his conversation with Anna, making sure he avoided her. He figured she needed time to cool off. The truth was he didn't want to have to deal with the fall out.

Hunting was his go-to excuse. No one ever questioned his motives. To call what he was doing hunting, would be a bit of a stretch. Hunting implied pursuit. He wasn't pursuing anything. He'd spent the last two days in the woods with nothing to show for it. He couldn't focus. Without focus he was useless behind a bow. After his first few attempts at hitting a rabbit, he gave up trying at all. He was tired of wasting his energy tracking down spent arrows.

It was a shame too, because he needed the distraction. He needed something to occupy his thoughts, something to replace the images in his head. All that kept running through his mind was Anna and the way she had looked at him. He saw her eyes as they began to fill with tears. He knew she was fighting to hold them back. He felt like a dick for the things he'd said to her. Maybe he could have handled it better. Maybe he could have been a little less harsh. He knew he hurt her. He knew there was no way to avoid it.

Daryl began to make his way back to camp, decided that he would try to smooth things over. She was a reasonable person. By now she probably realized that night was a mistake. They could put this behind them. They could move on.

It was late afternoon when he finally returned. He saw Dale and called out to him. "Where's Anna? I need to talk to her."

Dale looked down at him from the top of the camper. "What do you mean where's Anna? She left."

Daryl set down his bow, his eyes fixed on Dale. "I don't understand. What do you mean she left?"

"She went to meet up with her group from the hospital. I thought you knew."

Daryl dropped his head, trying to wrap his mind around what Dale had just said. "I don't know anything about it."

Dale's mouth tightened as he lowered his eyes. "What's going on here? Anna said you knew. She even told me about the gun you gave her." Daryl climbed on top and Dale took him by the arm. "Did something happen with you two?"

Daryl hesitated as Dale's eyes bore into him. "Anna and I spent the night together at the campground. We were on different pages as far as what it meant."

"Let me guess she thought it meant something more than you did."

Daryl nodded.

"Damn it Daryl. What were you thinking? You had to know how she felt about you. Everybody knew. I thought you were a better man than that."

Daryl shook his head. "It wasn't like that."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Daryl turned away, rubbing his hand across his eyes. "I mean I never meant for it to happen in the first place. I don't know. I wasn't thinking. It never dawned on me she'd leave."

"I just hate that she did under these circumstances."

Daryl clenched his fists as frustration set in. "Damn it. I can't believe she would run off like that without telling me. What the hell was she thinking? There's no telling what kind of trouble she could get into out there."

"I tried to get her to stay, but she had her mind made up."

Daryl looked back at Dale. "How do we even know she made it there?"

"That's the problem. We don't."

Daryl could feel his blood begin to pump. "Well I can't just stay here and do nothing. I've got to find her and straighten this mess out...She say where she was going?"

"Her friends are at the Central State Hospital in Milledgeville."

"You know how to get there?"

"No, but I wouldn't be surprised if Shane does. That place she went isn't a normal hospital. I know they house inmates there. Shane's probably familiar with it."

Daryl climbed down from the camper. "I'll find him."

* * *

><p>Daryl was antsy and becoming angrier by the minute. He'd walked every inch of the camp. He'd even covered the woods. To think he could track a deer through a path of dry leaves but he couldn't find Shane's ass anywhere. It would be just like him to disappear without telling anyone. Every minute wasted waiting on him was a minute he didn't have to find Anna. Now it was too late. He'd have to wait until morning. Who knew if she actually made it to the hospital? She could be anywhere. A million things could have gone wrong. He didn't want to think of the possibilities, but that was all he could do. The only consolation was she had the gun. Thank God she had taken it with her.<p>

Finally at dusk Shane showed up. Daryl ran at him. "Where the hell have you been?"

Shane rubbed his head. "What business is it of yours? Unless something has changed I'm pretty sure I don't answer to you."

Clenching his jaw, Daryl cursed under his breath. "You always have to be a dick don't you? You just can't help yourself."

Shane eyed him. "What exactly is it that you want?"

"You know how to get to the Central State Hospital?"

Shane raised his brow, his eyes focused on Daryl. "What's with the sudden interest in that place?

"It's none of your business."

"For somebody that wants something from me you sure are going about getting it the wrong way."

"Don't start with me Shane. Just answer the question."

"Is this about Anna? Is that where she went?

Daryl didn't respond.

"You aren't thinking about going after her are you?...You are. Aren't you? What is the deal? She's gone. Let it go."

Daryl snapped at him, "Stop being a prick. I need directions. Do you know how to get there or not?"

"Oh I see. I take it you finally…."

Daryl cut him off. "Watch yourself."

"Well now. Doesn't that just paint a picture? You go bat shit crazy on me because you wanted a piece for yourself? You're nothing but a goddamn hypocrite."

"Another word and you're gonna regret we had this conversation."

Shane laughed. What? You gonna hit me again?

"Cut the bullshit. I'm not in the mood to be screwed with right now."

Shane shook his head. "Damn. Relax. No reason to get all bent out of shape. I'll tell you how to get there."


	20. Chapter 20

That night Daryl couldn't sleep. His mind wouldn't let him. He wondered if Anna was sleeping or was she lying awake like him. He tried to focus his thoughts there. He wouldn't let himself go anywhere else. He had to believe she'd made it to the hospital. She was smart, smarter than most. She wouldn't do anything stupid. She had the gun. He knew she could use it. She was laying in bed right now, the same as him. He wouldn't let himself think otherwise.

It drove him crazy that he let a woman have this effect on him. There would be other women. There always was. Finding a woman when he wanted one was never a problem. He knew what to say to them. He knew where they'd end up. There was never a question of what he wanted. There was never the option for anything more. It had always worked in the past. Why should this be any different? She was a woman, same as any other. Why should she expect something else, something more? As much as he wanted to believe it, he knew he was kidding himself. She was different. He was different when he was with her.

He knew when Dale told him about her run-in with the walker that things had changed. The thought of something happening to her killed him. That's why he had been so insistent on taking her shooting. That's why he had given her the gun. The irony of it was he was the one who pushed her away. Driving her out. Driving her some place he couldn't protect her.

He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been. He said things he wished he could take back. He shouldn't have lied about their night together. It wasn't just sex. It was more than that. She didn't deserve to be lied to. She didn't deserve any of it. The only thing that mattered was making it right. The only way was to tell her the truth.

* * *

><p>At the first sign of dawn, Daryl was up and loading his truck. Dale walked over to meet him. "So what are your plans?"<p>

Daryl glanced at him. "The only plans right now are to find her. For all I know, she may not even want to see me."

"Well, as long as she's safe that's really all that matters."

Daryl knew that wasn't the case. Other things mattered. They mattered to him anyway. Did she hate him? Could she forgive him? Did she view him the same as before? He wondered if he'd get the answers. He wondered if he could live with them.

Dale's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Did you remember the directions?"

Daryl patted his shirt pocket. "Yeah. I think I have everything."

Dale watched as he climbed in the truck. "Be careful and make sure you keep an eye on your gas gauge. You don't need to get stranded out there."

Daryl nodded and cranked up the engine. He pulled out stirring up ribbons of dust as he went. As he drove he thought of the day he took Anna shooting. They had taken this same path. He remembered how easy and comfortable the ride had been. He remembered how much he'd looked forward to them finally spending some time alone.

He thought about that night in the cabin and the events that led up to it. He knew that she was scared. He wanted her to feel safe. He needed to be close to her. It would have been enough to just lie next to her but he was a man and there were things beyond his control. She was the one who made the first move. He knew he shouldn't have encouraged it. He could see where it would lead. There would be questions that couldn't be answered and expectations that couldn't be met. He could have let her sleep in her own bed. He could have told her it was a bad idea. He knew he could have stopped it. He knew he didn't want to.

Daryl forced those thoughts out of his head and focused on the task at hand. He spent the next hour and a half looking for Anna's Jeep. He wasn't even sure she'd come this way. He could only hope that she had. He thought about what he wanted to say to her and how she might react. He had run through every possible scenario by the time he saw the first sign for Milledgeville. He pulled out the directions Shane had given him. He was looking for Roberson Mill Road. He slowed down and began checking street signs. Finally, he saw it just ahead on the right.

The Milledgeville welcome sign was the first thing that greeted him. He knew he had only a few miles to go. He continued on and was just about to make his next turn when he spotted a black SUV in the road. His adrenaline began to pump. It looked like Anna's. He hoped he was mistaken. As he got closer, he knew that he wasn't. He pulled over and grabbed his bow. He jumped out and slowly approached the vehicle. On first inspection he didn't see anything unusual, nothing that would warrant her leaving it there. He walked around to the other side and spotted what was left of the tire. "Damn."

Daryl began to walk the street and the surrounding area looking for any sign of her. He didn't find anything and nothing looked suspicious. Momentarily relieved, he ran back to the truck. She must have gone the rest of the way on foot. The thought of her out there made him sick to his stomach. The only consolation, she had the gun and she was close.

He tossed his bow in the truck and pulled out. He had reached the point of his trip where his directions ran out. Shane could no longer be specific. He only knew the turns by sight. He hated that he couldn't focus his attention entirely on Anna, now he had to search for landmarks too. He continued to slowly make his way down Allen Memorial Drive looking for a large white house with a wrap-around porch. Shane said it would be obvious. He scanned the street and the neighboring yards. He didn't see any sign of her but he did find the house.

Daryl had one more turn to make. He was looking for a small brick church. He could see the steeple through the tops of the trees. He stepped on the gas and made the left. He followed the street to its end and saw the entrance for the hospital. His heart started to race. He would know soon if she had made it or not. He pulled into the grounds and followed the main road until he saw the building surrounded by razor wire. He knew this had to be the place.

He parked by the gate. He was just about to jump out when he saw a white conversion van pulling in beside him. The driver stuck his head out of the window. He was about Daryl's age with dark hair and a short beard. "Can I help you?" he asked.

Daryl drew a deep breath. "I hope so. I'm looking for Anna Stewart. You know her?"

"Anna? Sure. How do you know her?"

Daryl felt the weight lift off his shoulders. "She was staying in camp with my group until recently."

"Is there a Daryl in your group?"

"Yeah. That's me."

The man smiled. "So you're Daryl. Anna has told us all about you. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check to make sure she made it here in one piece."

"Well she's fine. I'm Michael and this is Steven." His passenger leaned forward giving Daryl his first chance to see him. His coloring was lighter and he was thinner than Michael. He made the driver look burly in comparison. "Why don't you follow us inside and you can see for yourself?"


	21. Chapter 21

Daryl's truck idled as he waited for Steven to open the gate. He followed the van as it rolled through the entrance, stopping once inside. After the gate was secured, the two vehicles continued into the compound. Daryl parked in the visitor's lot and observed the building in front of him. It was a large three-story structure that had various wings jutting off a central point. The pale peach brick that covered the exterior gave it a washed out and tired appearance, the only architectural detail being the large windows that spanned its main facade.

Daryl climbed out of the truck as Michael and Steven approached him. Michael reached out to shake his hand. "I'm really glad I got the chance to meet you. I thought you might be wearing a cape the way Anna described you."

Daryl half grinned, slightly embarrassed. "She's overselling me then."

Michael gave him a good-natured pat on the back. "Anna's a pretty good judge of character. I trust her assessment."

Steven glanced at Michael and jokingly said, "The fact that she's friends with you says otherwise".

Michael rolled his eyes implying the comment was nothing he hadn't heard before. Daryl had to imagine from the tone of the conversation that Anna had left out important details about their time together.

The men began to walk towards the building, Daryl mentally preparing himself for the confrontation that was about to unfold. They entered the lobby and Michael called out, "Hey, David". "You're never going to believe who we found outside."

Daryl watched as the man approached him. He was blonde and tall, taller than him. He guessed he was a few years older.

Michael grinned, tipping his head sideways. "This is Daryl Dixon. He's the one Anna was telling us about."

The man extended his hand. "David Greer. It's nice to meet you."

Daryl gave him a firm handshake and David gave him a quick once-over. "Well, Daryl. I've heard a lot about you. I want to thank you for taking such good care of Anna. I can't tell you how happy I was to see her show up on our doorstep. I started to give up hope I'd ever see her again."

"It was nothing, really."

David smiled. "I'm sure Anna will be happy to see you. She's in her room. I'll go get her for you."

Daryl stopped him. "Just point me in the right direction. I kinda want to surprise her."

David raised his brow. "Sure. Whatever you like." He extended his arm. "Down that hall. Room 112. It'll be on the right."

Daryl nodded and offered a quick, "Thanks". He walked towards her room, nervous for the first time. He had psyched himself up the whole ride over. Now his resolve was starting to wane. He had no idea what her reaction would be. He had never seen her angry until that day with him. He'd been slapped by a woman before and didn't care to have it happen again. He braced himself and knocked.

A moment passed and Anna opened the door. It was like she had seen a ghost. "Oh my God…Daryl. What are you doing here?"

She didn't wait for him to answer. "You must have come for your gun. I know I shouldn't have taken it but Dale…."

He cut her off. "I'm not here for the gun."

She looked at him, confused. "Then what are you here for?"

Daryl averted her eyes as he struggled to find the words. Everything he had rehearsed had flown out the window. His mind was blank. He began to fidget, his hand touching his lip, then the side of his neck, before eventually being shoved into his pocket. Finally something escaped his lips. "Dale was worried about you…I was worried about you. Look the way we left…."

Anna stopped him, his discomfort with the situation, painfully obvious. "Don't worry about it. You don't have to say anything. I've had a couple of days to think things through. At first I was angry about what you said. Actually I was furious. I blamed you for hurting me, but the truth is I was equally responsible for what happened that night. You never promised me anything and I was more than a willing participant. I read into it more than I should have…I don't know I guess I got caught up in the whole idea of it all. It seems silly now that I actually say it_." _

She looked at him. His eyes were empty, his face expressionless. It was the same detached Daryl she had known that day. "Can we just start over and pretend like none of this ever happened?" _There's your pass. I couldn't have made it easier for you. Now you don't have to feel guilty._

Her words cut through him like a knife. His fears finally realized. He felt his knees get weak. He had no response.

"Can we?" she asked.

He finally acknowledged her with a nod. He didn't think he could form the word yes if he wanted to.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I'm glad we got that out of the way." She smiled. "It was nice of you to check on me. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though. You always seem to do the right thing_." Why do you always have to do the right thing? Why did you have to come here? It was easier when I was angry at you. Now I can't be. _

Daryl felt a pang in his stomach. He couldn't help but think he might not be in this situation if he had actually done the right thing, if he had actually been honest from the start. Right now he'd give anything to be yelled at, anything to be slapped, anything but this.

Anna tugged at his sleeve. "I was just going to get breakfast. Why don't you join me?"

She didn't wait for a response. She took him by the arm and walked him to the dining room. Michael, Steven and David were already there, seated at one of the tables. He could feel their eyes on him as they walked inside.

Daryl watched as David pulled out a chair for Anna. He watched as he laid his hand on her shoulder.

David turned his focus to him. "So Daryl, Anna mentioned you worked in construction. What else do you do with your time? Any hobbies or interests?"

"Not really." _Just Anna._

Anna cut in. "Daryl's being modest. He's an excellent hunter. He's the one who brings in the majority of the food at camp. I wish I was half as skilled with a scalpel as he is with a bow."

Another pang._ Damn it. Why'd she have to say that? Why is she making this so hard? _He caught her eyes. _You just closed the door on us. You want to pretend like we never happened. I need to dislike you now. Just stop._

Michael spoke up. "Anna was telling us about how you rescued her that day in the woods. That was really impressive what you were able to do."

Daryl shrugged. "I was in the right place at the right time. Anybody would have done the same thing."

David put his arm around Anna, pulling her to him. "I can't tell you how grateful I am for what you did."

Daryl watched him as David watched her. _Again with the touching. Who is this prick anyways? Is he why she's all fired up to kick me to the curb? _

Steven cleared his throat. "So Daryl how long do you plan on staying with us?"

"Just long enough to get some gas for the ride back."

Daryl could see Anna look up at him. She held his eyes for a moment and he felt his stomach knot. Damn those eyes. They killed him inside.

Michael turned to him. "I can take you out later in the van, if you like. I've already got everything you'll need."

Daryl nodded. "Thanks man. I really appreciate that."

Michael looked at Anna. "Glad to do it. Any friend of Anna's is a friend of mine."

Daryl focused on the word 'friend' as Michael casually made the comment. Did he emphasize the word or was it his imagination? He wanted to set him straight, set all of them straight. _We're more than that. Damn it! She knows it. I know it. Why the hell is she acting like she don't? _


	22. Chapter 22

Michael and Daryl headed out of the hospital to make a run for gas. They stopped by Daryl's truck so he could retrieve his bow before continuing to the van. Michael jumped behind the wheel and Daryl climbed into the passenger's seat. They waited as Steven walked over to the gate and unlocked it.

Michael cranked up the engine. "I figure we can head over to the staff dorms. That's where most of the cars are. Steven and I have already siphoned off some of them, but there should still be enough to go around."

Daryl tapped his fingers on the arm rest. "Fine by me. You're the one who knows the place."

Michael put the van in gear and pulled up to the entrance. Steven opened the gate and waved them through. They slowly headed out, Michael scanning the road as they went. "We've got to be kind of careful out here. Every once in a while you'll see those things pop up. We've had several run-ins. Luckily, there were only a couple of them at a time."

"Yeah, a few walkers are no big deal. The roaming packs are the ones you have to worry about."

Michael nodded. "That's what happened when were stuck on the interstate. Out of nowhere, this sea of them just started moving across the road. I've never seen anything like it. I still don't know how we all got out of there."

Daryl shook his head. "If it didn't happen, I wouldn't be sitting here now. Strange how things turn out sometimes." He looked back out the window. "So how do you know Anna?"

"We worked together at a hospital in Marietta. We were both new and neither of us had family or friends in the area. I guess we kind of latched on to each other. We've been friends ever since."

"She mentioned her parents died. Where's the rest of her family?"

Michael thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I know Anna's mom was from Germany. Her dad was in the army and met her when he was stationed over there. Her parents lived in New York for a while. I think there was some kind of falling out with the family and they ended up moving to North Carolina. As far as I know she never had much contact with any of her extended family. She's been pretty much on her own since her mom died."

"How'd she wind up in Georgia then?"

"Well, that's debatable. Anna would say she moved here because she got into Emory. I think it was more than that. Her mom was really over-protective and put a lot of pressure on her to be successful. I think she did it to get out from under her thumb."

"Well I'd say she did pretty well for herself. She's the first lady surgeon I ever met...You said you worked with Anna. What about Steven and David?"

"We all worked together. Steven's an ER doctor and David's the department chairman at the hospital."

Daryl glanced at Michael out of the corner of his eye. "This David guy, is there something going on there?"

Michael raised his brow. "Anna and David? I doubt it. They've never had anything but a friendly professional relationship as far as I know."

"Things can change."

Michael shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe, but Anna is one of my best friends. I think she'd tell me if there was something there. She's always been married to her work anyways. Hell, I'm the one who's pushing her to go out more."

Daryl wondered if she would tell Michael anything about David. She obviously hadn't said anything about him. He figured he was pretty much where he started, clueless as to what was going on with her.

Michael pulled the van into one of dorm parking lots and began looking for a suitable vehicle to tap for fuel. They spotted a station wagon that fit the bill and parked. Daryl grabbed his bow and jumped out. Michael followed behind him. They walked to the rear of the van and Michael grabbed two gas cans and some plastic tubing.

Daryl raised his bow as the two of them approached the car. When Daryl was sure everything was clear, Michael went to work setting up the siphon. He realized after he drained the tank that there wasn't much gas to be had. "There's not a lot here. We'll have to find another vehicle."

Daryl pointed to a large SUV parked a few spots over. "What about that one? That should have a good size tank on it."

"We already tried that one. You can't get the hose down into the fuel tank. It's got some sort of device that prevents it."

Daryl looked at him. "Let's just by-pass the hose and go directly to the tank. You got something sharp in the van?"

"There's a tool box in there. I can check and see what's in it."

"A screwdriver and hammer will work."

Michael climbed in the back of the van and found the tools Daryl had asked for. He stepped back out and handed them to him.

Daryl ran his thumb over the screwdriver. "Can you keep watch while I'm under this thing?"

"No problem. Give me a second to get the crowbar out of the van."

Michael returned, weapon in hand. He watched as Daryl climbed under the SUV, dragging the gas can behind him. Once Daryl was situated he began hammering the screwdriver into the gas tank. It wasn't as easy as he thought it'd be. He pressed his feet against one of the tires, trying to gain some additional leverage. He continued to pound, making progess with each swing of the hammer.

Michael was watching the parking lot when he saw a walker stumble out from behind the dorm. He called out to Daryl. "We've got company. It's just one of those bastards though. I'll take care of it." He went out to meet it, immediately knocking it to the ground with the crowbar. He smashed its head until he knew it wouldn't be getting back up. He looked up and saw a second one heading towards him. He was about to swing again when he saw more, many more, coming out from behind the building. He took down the second walker and ran back towards Daryl. "We've got to go now! Hurry!"

They walkers were beginning to close in on them. Daryl tried to untangle himself from under the SUV. Michael started to yell, "Come on! Come on! Let's go!" Daryl pushed himself across the asphalt and felt a searing pain shoot through his thigh. He got to his feet and grabbed his bow. He started to run, the walkers now within a few car lengths.

Michael took off for the van with Daryl right on his heels. The two of them jumped in, slamming the doors as the walkers desperately reached out to them. Michael started the engine and stepped on the gas. They circled the parking lot and headed back to the hospital.

Michael grabbed the radio and called ahead asking that the gate be open when they got there. He glanced down at Daryl's leg and saw the blood seeping through his pants. "Shit, man. That doesn't look good."

Daryl looked down at his leg for the first time. "I must have cut it on something under the SUV." He began to apply pressure to the wound with his hand.

They reached the gate to see Stephen and David waiting for them. They drove through the entrance and to the front of the hospital. Michael jumped out and helped Daryl inside.

Michael found Anna waiting at the door. "We need to get Daryl taken care of. He's got a pretty nasty wound that needs to be looked at."

Anna looked at his leg. "I'll take care of it." She took Daryl by the arm and walked him to one of the examination rooms, him leaning slightly on her for support. "What happened exactly?"

"I came out on the wrong end of a very sharp point."

Anna led him to the exam table and he hopped up on it. She went to the sink and began to wash her hands. After she had given them a thorough scrubbing, she pulled on a pair of surgical gloves. She then walked to one of the supply cabinets and selected a few items from the various shelves. Finding everything she needed, she turned to Daryl and frowned. "You're going to have to take your pants off. I'm a doctor not a magician."

He couldn't help but grin. _This is the Anna I know. This feels the way it did before_.

He undid his belt and slid his pants to the floor. Anna examined his wound but couldn't help focusing on the muscled thigh surrounding it. _Why couldn't he have injured his forearm instead? _She sat down on the room's rolling chair and placed the supplies on the stainless steel tray that stood nearby. She rolled the chair between his legs and applied pressure to the wound with a clean cloth. After the bleeding had stopped she took a pad doused with hydrogen peroxide and began to clean it.

Daryl flinched. He wasn't sure if it was from the sting of the peroxide or the fact that she was touching him there.

Anna took a cotton swab and rubbed an anesthetic cream into his thigh. She picked up a suture and ran her thumb around the wound. He felt a rush of heat shoot to his groin. "Do you feel anything?"

He did, but he was sure that's not what she meant. He just shook his head and shifted uncomfortably. Anna looked up, giving him a half smile. "You're going to have to sit still. You do realize I'm working with a needle here?"

"Sorry. I'm not used to being stitched up. Least not when I'm awake anyway."

"Maybe if you would stop putting yourself in harm's way I wouldn't have to keep doing this."

Anna carefully closed the wound and applied a bandage. "Stay off your leg as much as possible. I'll apply another dose of antibiotic cream and change the bandage later. I want to make sure there's no sign of infection."

He looked at her. "I won't be here later. As soon as I can go back for the gas, I'll be on my way."

Anna drew a deep breath. "Damn it Daryl. I need to make sure this wound doesn't get infected. You should probably have a Tetanus shot. If I had one I'd give it to you."

"I'll be fine. I've had worse things happen to me."

Anna stood up, cutting her eyes at him. "You don't always know what's best for you. You think you do, but you don't. That's always been your problem." She walked to the door. "You can get dressed. We're done here."


	23. Chapter 23

Anna marched to her room angry, frustrated, beside herself. _Why does he have to be so difficult? Why can't he see I'm trying to do what's best for him? Why does he have to get to me?_

She flopped down on the bed, tired of feeling like a wrung out dish rag. She ran her fingers through her hair, wishing she didn't want to pull it out. _He's so damn hard-headed. He's positively infuriating. Good, focus on the negative. He never let's you know what he's thinking. He can be a smart-ass when he wants to be. He can have sex with you and not think twice about it. _She let that thought run through her head again._ He's not like you. He's not emotionally invested. _The truth had just started to sink in when her mind wandered elsewhere. _He rescued you that day in the woods. He protected you from Shane. He kept you safe at the campground. _None of this was helping. She wanted to go back in there and fix him, shake him, kiss him. She didn't know in what order anymore. _Just remember he won't be here long. When he's gone you won't have the constant reminder. _

Anna got up when she heard a knock at the door. She opened it to find Daryl standing there, arms folded, eyes focused. "What the hell Anna? Why'd you go running off like that? What the devil's got you so ticked?"

She bit her lip and unconsciously began tapping her foot. "I'm just trying to do what's best for you and you're not making it easy. You have to understand that I don't have access to certain antibiotics or medicines anymore. What if you needed them? Then what?...That's why it's important to do the right things early on, to prevent the need for them later."

Daryl looked at her, mulling over what she'd said. "Alright….You win. I'll stay and you can do whatever you need to."

She sighed, relieved. "Good. Let me set you up in a room. You can get off your leg for a while; even take a hot shower if you want to. The only thing you would have to do is keep the wound dry. I can change your bandage in the morning. If everything looks fine you can leave and I won't say another word about it. Okay?"

He nodded. "I could use a shower."

Anna crooked her finger. "Follow me." She walked over to one of the linen closets and took out a couple of towels. She handed them to him and pointed to a room down the hall. "The showers are there. I'm going to make a bed up for you in the room next door. Do you need anything else?"

He shook his head. "Thanks. I'm good."

Anna left and Daryl walked to the shower, buoyed by their conversation. _She obviously doesn't hate me. She must still care; otherwise she wouldn't have made such a big deal about the wound._ He got undressed and threw his clothes in a pile. Stepping into the stall, he turned on the water. He stuck his hand under the stream, testing the temperature. Once it was warm, he positioned himself under the spray, doing his best to keep his bandage dry. He could feel the tension in his neck pulling across his shoulders, making his body feel sore and tight. He let the water beat down on him, the heat and pressure slowly loosening his muscles. He tipped his head back under the stream, running his hands over his face, across his chest and down to his abdomen. For a moment he imagined they were Anna's hands instead of his own. He closed his eyes and thought about their night together and the way she touched him. He shuddered. Bracing himself against the wall, he took the opportunity to relieve the energy and frustration building inside him.

For the first time since she left, he was able to relax. Clean and sated, he stepped out of the shower. He dried off, wrapping the towel around his waist. He picked up his clothes and went to his room. Once inside he found that Anna had already made up the bed. The sheets were pulled tight, the pillows fluffed. He shook his head, a grin starting to form. _Only she would do that. The world's gone to shit and she's making hospital corners._ He pulled back the covers and climbed inside. Within minutes he was asleep.

Later that evening everyone gathered in the dining room for a meal consisting of canned items from the hospital's store room. After the plates were cleared Michael stood up and headed to the kitchen. He came back out with a couple bottles of tequila they had scavenged from the dorms. "I figured since we have company we should break out the good stuff."

Daryl examined the bottles. "I'm touched man. It's been a while since I had something with this kind of octane."

Michael began walking around the table, filling the glasses. "Hey we've had a rough day. I think it's deserved." He reached Anna and she put her hand over the glass.

Michael gave her a look as if to say 'why not'?

"It's tequila. You know I can't drink that anymore."

Michael acknowledged her with a squeeze of the shoulder. "Oh. That's right. I forgot about that."

David looked at him. "Forgot about what?"

Michael smirked. "It's nothing. Anna doesn't drink tequila. She kind of had a bad experience with it."

Steven perked up. "Do I know this story?"

Michael shook his head. "No. Anna made me promise not to tell anybody at work."

David glanced at Anna with a questioning look on his face. "I didn't think you even drank."

Grinning from ear to ear, Michael sat down. "Anna can drink alright. She even thought she could hang with a full grown man."

Anna interjected. "In my defense, I don't normally drink, but in this particular case, I couldn't help it. That guy really got under my skin."

David looked at her and then Michael. "Tell it. We could use a good story. It's not like we have jobs to go back to."

Daryl could see Anna cringe. "I'd like to hear this myself."

Anna rolled her eyes at Michael. "Go ahead. I guess it doesn't matter anymore. It's not like I have a professional image to tarnish. One condition though. No one ever mentions this to me again."

Michael sat up in his chair. "See Anna and I went out to dinner one night after work. We go sit at the bar and this guy sees Anna's hospital badge. He immediately thinks she's a nurse and starts chatting her up, asking her all kinds of questions. Anna finally gets a word in and tells him she's not a nurse but a doctor. Apparently, he's already had a few drinks and he starts going on about how women had no business being doctors. He said they were too damn emotional to be making important decisions.

Anna stopped him. "He actually said 'little ladies' had no business being doctors. That's what made it twice as annoying."

"So Anna tells him a woman can do anything a man can do. And he says something like they sure as hell can't drink like a man. The next thing I know the two of them are trading tequila shots like sailors on shore leave."

Anna shrugged. "I couldn't help it. You know how competitive I am. Besides I hung with him for a while."

Michael started to laugh. "I'll give you that. Needless to say I dragged her out of there a little worse for wear. She barely made it to the parking lot before…."

Anna cut him off. "I think everyone gets the idea. Now if it's alright, can we move off of me for a while? I'm sure there are far more interesting stories to tell."

Daryl grinned at her. He liked knowing she had this other side, a side less reserved.

Michael clapped his hands together. "Alright. Anna's suffered enough. What do you say we play some poker? We finally have enough people for a decent game."

After getting everyone's buy-in, Michael stepped out. He returned with a deck of cards and a bottle of vodka. He looked at Anna. "This is for you."

"Thanks, but I'm fine."

Michael shook his head. "What's cards without a little drinking? Come on loosen up. This will be fun." Michael looked around the table. "What do you guys want to play?"

Steven inadvertently threw up his hand. "How about we start with five card draw? The winner can pick the game for the next hand."

Everyone agreed and Michael began to deal the cards. After the first several hands a pattern quickly developed. Anna watched as everyone knocked back shots and everyone watched as she didn't. Michael finally remedied the situation by making a new rule for a social drink after each round.

After several hands Anna started to feel the effects of the vodka. He body felt warm and she began to get light-headed. She watched Daryl interact with her friends. He fit in well and they seemed to like him. She almost wished they didn't. It was one more thing to eat at her. One more flaw she didn't have to focus on. She needed to find something, anything to cast him in a less desirable light. She studied his face, blue eyes, sculpted features, perfect mouth. He was sexy. Too damn sexy. It was almost painful to look at him. He caught her staring and for a moment she was afraid he could read her thoughts. She needed him to go. She needed to distance herself. She needed to move on.

As the hands and the drinks progressed she knew she was teetering on the edge of buzzing and full-blown drunk. She cut herself off. She didn't want to say or do something she'd regret. She pushed away from the table. "That's enough for me. I'm going to bed."

Everyone looked at her. Michael said, "Come on it's still early".

"No. I'm done. Anymore and you'll be picking me up off the floor_." _Anna stood and for the first time felt the full effects of the alcohol. She stumbled slightly and Daryl put out his arm to steady her. She walked towards her room feeling sluggish and disconnected, like she was a marionette and someone else had control of her legs.

Daryl got up. "I'm done too."

Michael, Steven and David looked at each other, the unspoken consensus made to keep playing.

Anna reached the hall when she heard Daryl call out to her. She waved her hand over her shoulder. "I'm fine. Go back to your game." _Please don't follow me._

He caught up to her. "I don't want to."

She looked up at him and saw that his eyes were hooded and glazed. It was obvious he'd had too much to drink. She shrugged her shoulders. "What do you want then?" _Tell me you changed your mind. Tell me you want to be with me._

He didn't respond. He just focused on her like she was a puzzle he was trying to solve.

She sighed. _This is pointless_. "Honesty Daryl, contrary to what you might think, people can't read your mind. God knows I can't. When you figure it out, let me know."

She opened the door and he put his hand on her arm, stopping her from going inside. "Don't" he said.

He turned her around, the sudden movement causing her to feel dizzy and off balance. She tried to focus as the hallway started to spin. She glanced up at him as he stared down at her. His eyes were heated like they might burn a hole through her. She thought she'd pissed him off. She tried to tell him they'd talk about it in the morning but his mouth was on hers before she could form the words.

At that moment, everything slowed down. It was like it wasn't happening to her but someone else, like she was a spectator to the events unfolding. Without thinking, she was kissing him back. He pushed her against the door frame and she felt herself go limp. He grabbed her hips, pulling them towards him. She could feel him harden as he pressed himself against her. His mouth moved to her neck, sucking and biting his way to her shoulder. She cried out from the combination of pleasure and pain. Chills began to run through her, the sensation helping clear the fog from her mind. She heard him mutter "Bed" as he maneuvered her inside the room.

The change in location, allowed Anna's head to finally catch up to her body. _He can have sex with you and not think twice about it. He's not emotionally invested like you are. _Her thoughts were like an electrical jolt, bringing her back to her senses. She pushed him away. "This isn't going to happen." _I'm not going to be a drunken 'roll in the hay'. I'm not going through this all over again._

Daryl looked at her, confusion showing on his face. "Come on Anna." _You kissed me back_. _Don't tell me you don't want this._

"I'm sorry. You should go."

Daryl was about to protest when there was a knock on the door. Anna opened it to find Michael standing there with a couple of aspirin in his hand.

She could tell by the look on his face that he was surprised to see Daryl there. "Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I just thought you might want these."

"It's alright. Daryl was just leaving."

Daryl glanced at Anna as he turned to go. From the look on her face he knew it was pointless to argue.


	24. Chapter 24

Anna woke with a splitting headache. She pinched the bridge of her nose in a futile attempt to alleviate the pain. Dragging herself out of bed, she tried to recall the night before. _Daryl, her, the doorway._ _Oh God. _She needed to remember exactly what happened, but the pounding in her head made it difficult to focus. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to concentrate. Slowly it started to come back. _He was drunk._ _He came to my room. He started it. I stopped it. He left. That was the gist of it, right? _She rubbed her fingers against her temples._ Why couldn't he have just gone to his room? Why did he have to come to mine? Now we'll have to have another awkward conversation, where he won't say anything, or worse he'll say something I don't want to hear._

She walked over to the sink and began brushing her teeth, trying to get the cotton feel out of her mouth. She caught her reflection in the stainless steel cabinet. God, she looked like she felt. She started to get dressed and could feel the throbbing inside her skull worsen with each movement. She had taken the aspirin Michael had given her before she went to bed. _Wasn't that supposed to help?_ She shuddered at the thought that she could feel worse. She needed aspirin. She would have traded a kidney to get it. She staggered into the dining room on a mission to find it. Michael, Stephen and David were already there, gathered around their table.

Michael gave her a once-over. "Wow. You look like hell."

"Thanks for that. Can I get some aspirin? My head is killing me."

Michael handed her a bottle. "You slept long enough."

"Well judging by your comments it wasn't enough. I blame you for this."

He grinned at her. "It's not my fault you can't handle your liquor. If you drank more you'd be better at it."

She tried not to smile. "Is Daryl still asleep?"

Michael shook his head as he glanced at Stephen and David. "No. He left about an hour ago."

Anna cut her eyes at him, her heart starting to race. "What?"

Michael began to shift uncomfortably in his seat. "Yeah, we went out this morning to get gas. He left after that."

Anna's lip started to twitch. "He left and didn't tell me he was going?" The irony of that statement was lost on her. "He promised he'd stay."

Stephen and David looked at each, not sure what to do.

Michael sheepishly shrugged his shoulders. "He said he didn't want to wake you. He told me to tell you he was sorry."

Anna could feel her blood begin to pump, the pulsing action amplifying the throbbing in her head. She felt dizzy. She tried to remain calm but her voice began to rise. "What's he sorry for?" _What happened at camp, what happened here, that he left without telling me, or that we ever met?_ "What exactly?"

Michael turned his hands up. "He said you'd understand."

"Well he was wrong. I don't understand. I don't understand any of it." Anna angrily turned on her heel and left. She went back to her room and crawled into bed. She pulled the pillow over her head and screamed. _Who does he think he is? He can't just treat people like this. I'm a person. I have feelings. He comes here and turns everything upside down. He doesn't get laid and he high tails it out of here. No explanation, no nothing….I gave him too much credit. He's not the man I thought he was. _

Anna could feel her body begin to resonate with emotion, every limb, every organ, matching the pounding in her head. She heard a knock on the door. The taps sounded like gun fire and she put her hands over her ears. "Go away. I don't feel like talking to anybody."

She watched as the door opened. Michael and Stephen were standing there. She could tell they weren't sure what to do. They looked skittish, like deer. She was pretty sure if she made a sudden movement they'd run off.

Michael was the first one to speak. "Something is obviously bothering you. Why don't we talk about it?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but the last thing I want to do right now is deal with men."

Stephen tapped Michael on the arm. "Let me talk to her. I'm pretty good in this type of situation."

Michael gave him an 'if you say so' look.

Stephen walked in, closing the door behind him. He sat down in the chair next to her. "You and I have been friends a long time. Talk to me. You know you'll feel better if you do."

Anna reluctantly sat up. "I'm not very stable right now. You should know that going in."

"Noted. Tell me what's going on."

She took a deep breath. "Okay. If you must know, it's Daryl."

"I gathered that."

She rubbed her eyes. "I don't know. He's got me all tied up in knots."

"You're going to have to help me here."

She threw up her hands. "It boils down to this; I think he cares about me. We have sex, make love. I don't even know what it was." Stephen raised a brow. She shot him a look. "Please don't judge me. He says it doesn't mean anything, so for him it was just sex. He shows up here. I get my hopes up. He runs off."

She focused on him, trying to determine if he'd gotten any of that or for that matter if she'd made any sense.

Stephen sighed. "Okay, that's a lot to digest."

"Sorry. I know I have a tendency to ramble. This just hurts. The worst part is it's my own fault. I never should have jumped in bed with him….This is the reason I don't waste my energy dating. What's the point? I mean the one time I put myself out there this is what I get. I just feel like an idiot for thinking we could end up together."

Stephen gave her a weak smile. "Look, we've all been there before. We've all gotten through it. You will too. Michael, David and I are here to help. You'll be fine."

Anna turned to him. "Will I? The guy saved my life. It's not like I can just forget about him. I've never been around someone who had me on this kind of emotional roller coaster. If he walked through that door right now I don't know if I'd be pissed or happy. Right now I'm angry, five minutes from now I'll probably be crying my eyes out. That can't be normal."

"Relationships are complicated. I don't know if any of them are normal."

* * *

><p>Daryl pulled into camp. It wasn't how he envisioned returning. Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought Anna would be with him. He'd spent the entire ride thinking about how wrong things had gone. <em>I showed her I wanted her. She kissed me back.<em> _That wasn't my imagination. Why the hell did she push me away?_

Dale hurried over to meet him as he was getting out of the truck. "So how'd it go?"

"Fine. She's fine."

Dale breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I was starting to get worried when you didn't come back yesterday."

Daryl grabbed his bow and slung it over his shoulder. "It was nothing. Anna wanted me to stay a while."

"I guess that means you two worked things out."

Daryl avoided his eyes. "Yeah, we're fine too."

"That's good to know…So, what's the place like? What about the people she's with?"

Daryl began walking towards his tent. "They've got a nice setup. The people she's with seem decent enough."

"Good. I guess we couldn't have asked for a better outcome."

Daryl stopped, subconsciously shaking his head. _Maybe_ _for you. It damn sure could have been_ _better for me. _"Guess not. If there's nothing else, I'm gonna hit the woods. It's been a few days since I've brought anything back."

Dale waved his hand and started to walk away. "You go. We can take care of things around here."

Daryl stepped inside his tent. He was gathering his gear when he saw Shane approaching.

"I see you made it back."

Daryl looked him over. "Nothing gets by you."

"I'm assuming since I don't see Anna around, she blew you off…What you couldn't sell her on your hunting prowess or was it some of your other skills she found lacking?"

Daryl stepped out of the tent, standing face to face with him. "I don't know if you're trying to get a rise outta me. It's hard to tell considering what a prick you normally are. I find it interesting that a man who had to restrain her to get anywhere would make a comment like that."

Shane laughed. "Keep telling yourself that. Believe me, she was into it."

Daryl shoved him. "You got a warped sense of reality, man."

Shane steadied himself. "Settle down...I can't help it if the truth hurts. If you had minded your own business we could have compared notes."

With that, Daryl exploded. He struck Shane in the face, dropping him to the ground. Shane shook his head and tried to sit up. Grabbing him by the shirt, Daryl pulled him towards him. "Listen and listen good. If I hear her name come outta your mouth, you'll be sorry. You're gonna wish you never met her much less laid a finger on her. You got that asshole?"

Shane glared up at him. "You're certifiable. You might want to get checked out."

Daryl gritted his teeth and leaned into him. "And you're a pathetic piece of shit."

Standing, he knocked Shane back down. "Don't forget what I said…If you know what's best, you'll stay outta my sight."


	25. Chapter 25

Daryl was in camp when he heard the screams, feminine, piercing, varying in tone. He grabbed his bow and took off, running towards the source. Whatever it was, was coming from the quarry. He could hear his blood pumping in his ears as he raced down the road. Rounding the curve, he saw them. Five walkers were at the lake's edge. _Five walkers, three arrows._ He could tell they were struggling, trying to get at the women washing clothes. The water appeared to be a problem for them. They were confused, focusing intently on the task at hand. They had no idea he was there. For him it would be like shooting fish in a barrel. He took his bow off his shoulder, loading it quickly. He steadied himself and fired, dropping the first walker where it stood. He heard the screams quiet as it landed on the rocks below.

Daryl repeated the sequence picking off two more. _Three walkers down, two walkers to go_. He set his bow on the ground and pulled his knife from his hip. Crouching, he began to move in. He was just about to strike when he heard, "Wait." He glanced back to see Shane standing there, his gun drawn, pointed in his direction. He motioned for Daryl to step aside. With two quick shots to the head, Shane took the remaining ones down.

Shane called out to the women still in the water. "Everything's fine. You can get back to what you were doing."

Daryl walked to the pile of walkers and began retrieving his arrows. He looked at Shane. "I had it under control. I didn't need your help."

Shane shook his head. "It figures you'd say something like that."

Both men turned as Dale headed towards them. "I heard the commotion. What happened here?"

Daryl kicked the head of one of the walkers. "These sons of bitches are getting desperate. I guess they think they can swim now. They'd probably get out there and flail around like giant pieces of bait."

Concern crossed Dale's face. "This is the second time this week we've had these things get into camp. They're obviously moving out of the city. We've been lucky so far, but at some point that luck is going to run out. I hate to say it but this place just isn't safe anymore."

Shane turned to Dale. "I've brought up Fort Benning before. I think in the long run it's our best bet. If anything is still standing, it'll be that place. I think now is the time to make the move."

Dale mulled over the suggestion. He looked at Daryl. "What do you think?"

"Who knows what we'd find there. We go all that way and could end up worse off. I say _if_ we move, we move to that campground I found."

Shane pointed to the hills. "It's only a matter of time before they make their way up there. Besides we'd still have to come back here for water. If there's going to be any place that's safe, it'll be Fort Benning."

Dale sighed. "I hate to admit it but for once I agree with Shane."

Daryl cut his eyes at him. "I guess my opinion don't count for shit then. Do whatever the hell you want. I'm done with this." He snatched up his bow and began heading back to camp.

Dale hurried to catch up to him. "What's wrong with you? Why are you getting so worked up? We're just trying to do what's best for everyone."

Daryl continued walking, brushing him off. "Something's gotta be wrong cause I don't agree with you two?"

Dale put his hand up, stopping Daryl in his tracks. "It's more than that. You've been biting people's heads off lately. Hell, look at how you snapped at Jacqui and all she did was ask about Anna."

"Yeah, well maybe all this shit is finally getting to me."

"You don't think it's getting to the rest of us? You started acting like this when you got back from the hospital. Did something happen that you haven't told me about?"

Daryl shook his head. "Why are you always hounding me? Why can't you just leave things alone?"

"Because whether you like it or not, you're important to the group. We can't have you going off half-cocked all the time. Shane's bad enough as it is."

Daryl focused his eyes on Dale's. "Don't try to lay a guilt trip on me. I'm not having any of it."

"I'm not. I'm just concerned."

"Well maybe you should be less concerned about me and more concerned about yourself."

"I _can _do both. Just tell me what's going on with you."

"Shit…You're not gonna let it go are you?...The hell with it then….If you really must know, I went after Anna thinking I'd convince her to come back with me. She didn't. Alright. You happy now?"

"But I thought you said…."

Daryl cut him off. "Just let it alone."

Dale conceded and didn't push the point. "Well if that's the case then maybe a change of scene would be good for you. Look you don't have to decide this second. Just think about it."

* * *

><p><em>Three days later:<em>

Daryl began loading his tent, hunting gear and what little else he had left in the back of his truck. A few minutes from now they would be leaving for Fort Benning. He hadn't gotten much sleep that night and was already on edge. The realization setting in that the door would be closing on Anna. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he'd held out hope that she might show up. She'd change her mind and want to work things out. As the days passed, he knew it was more and more of a pipe dream. Still, the thought was just enough to let him sleep at night.

He climbed in his truck and waited until Shane gave the sign to move out. He cranked up the engine and fell in line behind Shane's Bronco. Dale's camper and the remaining vehicles followed behind him. They hit the road, and for the last time he took in the familiar surroundings. He knew the exact spots where he had killed a deer, every path he had taken on a hunt, where he was standing when he first saw her. What started out as a fortunate set of circumstances didn't seem that way now. She had changed him, for the better at first. She had softened him, made him less angry, less bitter. Now that she was gone he was worse than before. Dale was right about him. He always seemed to be right.

The caravan of vehicles exited the quarry and headed south down US-29. The plan was to bypass the gridlocked I-85 until they had cleared downtown Atlanta. The trip was slow moving at first. The width of the camper had created a few obstacles and Shane had to ride ahead, determining the best path for it to take. As they moved farther along, the road began to open up. The worst was now behind them.

Daryl knew this path was the same one he had taken to find Anna. He recognized the landmarks. He remembered what to avoid. The next few miles he drove without the distraction of weaving around cars or watching the camper over his shoulder. He had nothing to do but think. What he thought about was how she had pushed him away. The farther he went the more frustrated he got. _After everything I did for her, she treats me like this. _He could feel the anger start to bubble up inside him. He wasn't going to let her do this to him. When he saw the exit for I-20, he instinctively took it. His actions sent him and the caravan around him grinding to a halt.

Daryl jumped out of his truck and ran back to the camper.

Dale opened the door, letting him inside. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not going. Least not now anyways. I've got some loose ends I need to tie up first."

Dale lowered his eyes. "Anna?"

Daryl nodded. "I'm not leaving this time until I say my peace. Worst case scenario, I'll find you. Best case scenario, Shane knows where to find me."


	26. Chapter 26

Michael and Stephen were outside reinforcing sections of the hospital fence, when they saw the familiar pickup truck pull up to the gate. They both looked at each other an unspoken 'oh shit' shared between them.

Michael said to Stephen, "Where's Anna?"

"I think she's in the laundry room. She said she was going to do something with all the stuff left in the dryers. I'm not really sure what she meant by that."

"Good. Go and make sure she stays there. I need to find out what's going on."

"Okay, but make it quick. I don't want to be the one to explain this."

Michael waved Stephen off and walked over to the gate. He was unlocking it as Daryl approached. "Hey man. What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to Anna."

Michael let him in, securing the gate behind him. "I don't think that's such a good idea. You're not exactly her favorite person right now."

"I figured as much….I know you're trying to do what's best but this is important."

Michael raised his brow. "You mind if I ask what this is about?"

Daryl shook his head. "The group is headed to Fort Benning. I need to see her before I go."

"You're not going to go in there and get her all upset are you? Because to be honest, I don't want to go through that again."

"The two of us have some things to work out. I'm not leaving until we do."

Michael took a minute to mull it over. "Alright. Come on."

The two men walked inside the building. They found Stephen waiting in the lobby.

Michael looked at him. "Where is she?"

"Laundry room. Like I thought."

Michael turned to Daryl. "Let me talk to her first. I don't want to just spring you on her."

"Do what you need to."

Daryl waited, taking the opportunity to figure out exactly what he was going to say. After a few minutes Michael returned.

"You can go ahead now. Fourth door on the left. It's downstairs."

Daryl gave him a nod and headed to the laundry room. Drawing a deep breath, he walked in. Anna watched him as he came down the stairs. Neither one of them spoke.

Daryl stood in front of her, the room's table keeping a comfortable distance between them. This was his last chance. He couldn't screw up again. He knew what it was like without her. He lived it. He hated it. He felt different now, more focused, more sure of himself than before. This time he didn't fidget. This time he looked her in the eyes. "I know you're probably angry, but I'm hoping you'll look past that and be truthful with me."

She put the sheet she was folding down. At that moment she knew every bit of progress she had made to get over him was lost. "Okay."

"If I'd said that night meant something, would you have stayed?"

She felt her heart begin to race. "Yes" escaped her lips.

He shook his head. "Then why'd you push me away?"

She was taken aback. "Why'd I push you away? You were the one who told _me_ that what happened between us was just sex. Remember you said I shouldn't read anything into it….I wasn't going to be used."

"I would never have used you. I can't believe you'd even think that."

"Why shouldn't I?"

He dropped his shoulders. "Look, I lied. Alright. I didn't mean any of that shit I said."

She felt her knees get weak. "Why?...Why would you do that?"

He didn't speak for a moment, not sure what to say. Anna waited patiently. There was no way he was going to dodge the question. Finally, the words came. "I don't know how to do this….You and me….This whole thing."

"You think I do?"

He shrugged. "Don't all women?"

"I'm the last person you should ask." She sighed. "Look this whole thing scares me. You scare me."

He almost laughed. "I scare _you_?"

"Yeah, you do."

"Hell. You're the one who scares me."

"What? Why would I possibly scare you?"

She could see the frustration in his eyes. "I don't know. I guess I figured at some point you'd come to your senses and wonder what you were doing with me."

"That's ridiculous. I would never do that."

"Come on Anna. How can you say that? Look at what you do for a living. Compare that to what I do. We don't exactly run in the same social circles. You don't think that matters?"

She shook her head. "I didn't become a doctor for the money or status. None of that was ever important to me."

He focused on her, taking in what she'd said. "Why me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why me? Why not someone else?"

She looked up at him. The answer was easy. "Because when I close my eyes at night you're what I think about, not all this mess around me. Why won't you believe….."

She stopped mid-sentence as he walked towards her. He stared down at her with an intensity that cut right through her. She was afraid to move, to speak, to breathe.

Her breath caught, when in one fluid motion he carefully picked her up. He carried her to the table, setting her down on its edge. She felt her pulse quicken as he stood between her knees, his eyes dark and focused intently on hers. Moving his hands to the back of her neck, he leaned in to kiss her. Instinctively she parted her lips. It wasn't soft. It wasn't gentle. It was heated and intense. It was exactly what she wanted. It was the essence of Daryl Dixon.

Wrapping her legs around his waist, Anna pulled him towards her. She wanted to touch him, smell him, feel him against her. She ran her fingers down his back, his muscles tightening and contracting as he moved his hands to her hips. She flashed to that night, remembering those muscles, him moving on top of her, the sheen of sweat, her nails digging in.

Daryl could feel his blood begin to pump as she wound herself around him. He couldn't count the number of times he had thought of this moment. It was real. It was happening. She wanted to be with him and he wanted to be with her.

He slid his hands under her shirt, running his thumbs across her stomach and down her sides. Her skin felt warm and soft against his fingers. He wanted to touch every curve, every inch of her. She was his and he wanted her now. He was just beginning to lift off her shirt when she stopped him.

She held his hands. "Wait."

_Shit. _

"What if someone walks in?"

"Don't worry." _That's the last thing I'm worried about. _

He kissed her again, letting her know the discussion was over. She didn't resist this time as he began separating her from her clothes. He leaned into her, running his tongue along her collar bone. He could smell the scent of soap on her skin. God she smelled and tasted good. His only focus now was the side of her neck. He knew it was her weak spot. He knew what he could do to her. He licked and bit his way down to her shoulder. She moaned against his ear, her legs tightening around him, drawing him closer.

Anna moved her fingers to his shirt, painstakingly freeing the buttons. She could feel his chest rising and falling as she slid it off and onto the floor. She ran her hands over him, taking in every contour, every plane of his body.

Daryl slid his hands down her back, releasing the clasp of her bra. He slipped it off her shoulders and tossed it to the side. He cupped her breasts, roughly grazing them with his thumbs. He could hear her breath hitch and feel her body shudder. Wrapping his arm around her, he leaned her back onto the table. He replaced his hands with his mouth, licking, sucking, biting, making her groan.

Anna dragged her nails down his back as his mouth moved over her. Her body began to shiver from the wet heat of his mouth. She was practically tingling now. She wanted him on top of her. She wanted him inside her.

"Let me touch you" she whispered.

Just the words sent a shot of heat through him. He could feel his groin begin to pulse. He looked up at her, guiding her mouth to his. He slowly pulled back, bringing her to the edge of the table.

He stood between her legs, his eyes heated, his chest heaving. Just the sight of him made her body feel weak. _If I have to die, this is the way I want to go. _

She tugged at his belt and opened his pants. She wet her hand and gently took hold of him. A stifled groan escaped his lips. She ran her hand along the length of him. She could feel him growing, hardening from her touch. She watched as his head fell back and his eyes closed, his groans coming in waves.

Daryl could feel his breathing become erratic as she stroked him. "Holy shit. Anna."

God it felt good. It was hard enough to stay focused with one hand, he thought she'd kill him with two. He finally had to pull away. He needed to hold out. He needed to last. She looked up at him.

"Your turn" he murmured.

He pushed her back onto her elbows. With both hands he raised her hips, sliding her jeans and panties off. He kissed a winding trail from her breasts to her pelvis, causing her body to tremble beneath him.

Anna watched as he dropped to his knees in front of her. _Oh God. Was he going to do this here? _Her leg muscles involuntarily tightened.

Daryl could feel her tense up as he began kissing the inside of her thighs. "Relax. I want to do this."

He ran his thumb between her legs and she flinched from the contact. He could tell she was wet. His body began to ache at the thought of it. He didn't hesitate. He wasn't going to let her rush this. He was going to take his time. He held her legs still, as he began circling, stroking, probing her with his tongue. He could hear the moans he was eliciting; feel her body begin to writhe. With each passing moment, her breathing became more rapid and shallow, her moans turning to gasps. He knew she was getting close. _Not yet, baby. Wait for me._

Daryl pulled away and Anna immediately felt the loss. He stood in front of her, his body throbbing. He couldn't take any more. He grabbed her and brought her to him. His eyes met hers as he carefully lowered her from the table. He groaned under his breath as he entered her. _Oh God. Yes. Finally._

Anna hooked her legs tightly around him. She draped her arm around his shoulder and rested her head against his. Holding on to her hips, he slowly began to rock inside her. He could feel her breath against his ear, the heat sending chills down his spine. He began picking up the pace, the rocking motion turning into thrusts. He could feel her pelvis pressing against his, encouraging him to go on.

Anna kissed his neck as he moved with her. Her body went limp, molding against his. Even with him inside her, she couldn't get close enough. She could hear his breath become labored as his thrusts came harder and deeper. As the heat rose inside her, she could feel herself nearing the edge. Just as she was about to go over, he slowed. _Please don't stop._

Daryl set her back on the table. He wanted to make this last, let her know she was worth the wait. He could see the frustration on her face as he laid her back down. He grabbed a pile of sheets and used it to prop up her head.

He leaned in to kiss her. "Something wrong?"

She bit her lip. He knew exactly what was wrong. He took a moment to pull off his boots and take off his pants. He climbed on the table, leaning over her. She pulled him to her, raising her hips to meet his. _Please God do this. _

Daryl positioned himself and pushed inside her. He could feel her muscles tighten around him. _Jesus...Shit...She feels good._ He started moving in and out of her in smooth, even strokes. He was trying his best to take it slow, keeping a steady rhythm between them. She began meeting his thrusts and he was finding it harder and harder to hold out. Finally he couldn't wait any longer. He held her hands over her head, kissing her neck and mouth. He was ready to give her what she wanted, what they _both_ wanted. He pulled out one last time before driving deep inside her. He heard her gasp against his ear. His movements came harder and faster now and she was practically panting beneath him.

He held her face in his hands. "I want you to look at me this time. No turning away."

She nodded under his gaze, her eyes glassy and focused on his.

Daryl continued the pace. He was close now and wanted them to go together. With one final thrust he heard her call his name. Her body began to shake violently beneath him, the action taking him with her. He began slowing his movements not quite ready to leave her. He saw her eyes close, as her body stilled. He leaned in to kiss her. Exhausted, he fell by her side. He pulled her to him and she rested her head on his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair as they laid there in silence.

Finally he turned her face towards him. "You really think we can make this work?"

She rose to kiss him. "We'll figure it out."


	27. Chapter 27

EPILOGUE

Daryl Dixon woke in a cold sweat. He had seen the images again, images that wouldn't let him sleep. They came less frequently now, the passage of time pushing them to some place in the back of his mind. Still, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't completely shut them out. Nights like this they would make their way into his thoughts.

_He would go to that place again, the place in the woods. The air hung heavy around him, offering little relief from the suffocating heat of the day. He could feel the sweat trickling down his back as his clothes clung damp against his skin. He would hear the thrashing sound, the disturbance drawing his attention to the nearby ridge. Then he would see her; running, her legs struggling against the brush, her head turning over her shoulder. He could almost hear her panting. Then he would see them; following closely behind, desperately trying to bring her down._

_He would raise his crossbow, his arms steady, his eyes focused. He would fire, watching the arrow hit its mark. He could see the walker as it collapsed, dropping heavily under its own weight. There it would lay, motionless, nothing more than a rotting reminder of what was yet to come._

_Then he would see her body betray her, her legs crumbling as she fell lifeless to the ground. He would quickly reload, the next target now in his sight. Stilling his breath, he would release the arrow. This time it was different. This time he missed. _

_There would be no second chances. He wouldn't have time for another shot. He could see the walker close in on her. He would watch as it captured its prey. It was too late. He was too far. He wasn't able to save her. _

Daryl's heart pounded as he struggled to catch his breath. He wiped at the sweat beading along his temples, his calloused fingers his first brush with reality. He was brought back to the present when he felt her stir next to him. His breathing slowed as her legs tangled with his. He pulled her close, pressing his body against hers. He could feel her chest rising and falling softly. He closed his eyes as the gentle rhythm lulled him back to sleep.

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><p><strong>AN:** Thanks to everyone who favorited (_is that a word?_) and followed this story. I hope it didn't disappoint.

I would especially like to thank those of you who took the time to review. I can't tell you how much it meant to get your amazing feedback. I can honestly say there is nothing scarier than putting something out there and wondering if people actually like it. It means the world to hear that people do.

I would also like to thank a certain person who was a constant source of encouragement. (You should know who you are.) Like I said before you're awesome.

Lastly, I'm considering doing a sequel to this story, so if it comes to fruition I hope you guys will check that out too.

Thanks again!


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